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ALTEAUS' *jOUN6 PdOPLC'S LIBRARY 



Young Peoples' History 



or THE 



War with spain 



BY 



PRESCOTT HOLMES 



VITH niGMTY-SIX ILLUSTRATIONS 



Copyripht 1900 by Henry Altemus Company 



PHILADELPHIA 

nONRY ALTEA\US COA\PANY 



: 




INTKODUCTOEY. 

THE brief war between the United States and Spain 
was the outgrowth of the humanity of the Ameri- 
can people and their love of fair play. They did 
not stand idly by when Spain was literally starving the 
people of Cuba into subjection to her will, but freely and 
generously sent food, medicine and clothing to the suf- 
ferers. 

When Spain^s cruelty to the Cubans became intoler- 
able to the civilized world, the United States intervened 
in the name of humanity and right, and demanded that 
the oppression should cease. Spain resented this, and the 
war followed. 

Much has been said and written regarding our con- 
duct of the war, and the grave scandals that arose from 
it ; but it is not the purpose of this volume to discuss these 
other than to say that, the work of the navy was clean 
and beyond question, while it is clear to every one that 
there was gross mismanagement on the part of army 
officials. 



6 



Introduction, 



The army performed as splendid achievements as the 
navy, but did it under much greater difficulties. Regu- 
lars and volunteers fought side by side, and equally de- 
serve our praise ; but they were corralled in filthy camps, 
stowed between the dirty decks of crowded transports, 
and despatched to Cuba in a manner of which a cattle 
shipper would be ashamed. They were flung against the 
ingenious defences of the Spaniards, cold, wet and hun- 
gry, and to their indomitable spirit alone we owe the 
victories in Cuba. 

The boys and girls of America cannot fail to be deeply 
interested in the story of the splendid deeds of our army 
and navy in the year of our Lord 1898, and it is for them 
that this history has been prepared. 





YOUNG PEOPLES' HISTORY OF THE 
WAR WITH SPAIN. 

CHAPTER I. 



THE CAUSE OF THE WAR. 

0!N^ April 21st, 1898, a war began between the 
United States and Spain. All the other coun- 
tries of the world felt an interest in it, but did not 
take any part in it. They were what we call " neutral " 
— that is, they did not help either side. 

As soon as the war was proclaimed a great wave of 
excitement swept through the United States, from shore 
to shore. Flags were hung out in every city and town; 
thousands of men offered to serve in the army — -volun- 
teers they were called; and many persons offered to help 
in other ways. The people were not glad that war had 
begun, but they felt that their country was doing right, 
and that they ought to support her efforts. 



8 



Young People's History 



And what was the cause of the war? Spain, a large 
country across the Atlantic Ocean, in the southwestern 
part of Europe, OAvned some of the islands, called " West 
Indies,'' near the United States. Spain had been unjust 
and cruel to the people living in one of these islands, 

for many years. Several times 
the unhappy islanders tried to 
drive the Spanish from the 
island, and set up a government 
of their own, but Spain sent so 
many soldiers there that they 
could not get their freedom. 
They fought bravely, however, 
but matters kept getting worse 
and worse, and at last Spain sent 
a very cruel general to take 
charge of affairs in the island. His name was 
"VYeyler, and he determxined to conquer the islanders. 
After a while he found he could not do it by fight- 
ing them, so he sent his soldiers to drive those who 
were not fighting away from their homes and farms 
and make them live in or near the large cities. When 
he had done this, the people had no way to earn money 
to buy food for themselves and their families, and soon 
they began to get sick and to die of starvation. The 
cruel Weyler would not give them anything to eat, and 
so they died by thousands. 

"When this dreadful state of affairs became known 




of the War with Spain, 9 

in the United States, kind people sent several ship-loads 
of food and medicines and clothing to the sufferers. 
This did a great deal of good, but all the poor people 
could not be reached and they continued to die. Finally, 
the United States told Spain that she ought not to have 
such a cruel man at the head of affairs, and after a while 
Spain sent another general to take his place. This new 
governor's name was Blanco, and he really tried to help 
the poor people, but Spain had very little money to send 
him to buy food for them, and so they went on dying. 
The soldiers, too, were in a very bad condition; they 
had not been paid for a great many months; they did 
not have enough to eat, and so they too sickened and 
died by thousands. You can see that unless something 
was done to help the poor people, they would all die 
and their beautiful island would become a wilderness. 

Besides being very proud, Spain was very poor. She 
had spent millions of dollars trying to conquer the 
islanders, and had no money to buy food for the suffer.ers 
that she had driven from their homes and huddled like 
cattle in yards and gloomy inclosures. So she asked 
the United States to help feed them, and the Red Cross 
Society, of which I will tell you later, sent hundreds of 
tons of food, medicines and clothing to them. These 
supplies were distributed by competent persons, and the 
relief was very great, but very soon some of the Span- 
iards began to say that the United States had no busi- 
ness to interfere in the affairs of the island, and to stir 



10 



Young People's History 



up tlie people. The feeling became so strong that our 
representative, Consnl-General Lee, notified the author- 
ities in the United States that, the lives and property of 
American citizens living in the island were not safe. 
It was for this reason that the battleship Maine was sent 

to Havana, the chief 
city of the island. I 
v;ill tell you about this 
ship later. 

Well, in spite of all 
that the United States 
had done to help Spain, 
matters grew worse, 
and finally the United 
States was obliged to 
tell Spain that, unless 
she took her soldiers 
away from the island 
and let the people gov- 
ern themselves, she 
would help them to be- 
come a free and independent nation. When Spain re- 
ceived this message, she regarded it as a declaration of 
war, and both sides prepared for the conflict. 

But before telling you about the war, shall I tell you 
something about the island and the group to which it 
belongs ? 

The island is called Cuba. It belongs to a large 




12 Young People* s History 

group of islands known as the West Indies; a changed 
form of the old name, AVest Indias, given by Christopher 
Columbus, who thought that by sailing westward he had 
reached islands off the shore of India. If you look 
on a map of the Western Hemisphere, you will find the 
West Indies between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic 
Ocean. 

Most of these islands are high and rocky, seeming like 
a chain of mountains in the ocean, w-ith their tops above 
the waves. They are in the tropical regions, and the 
climate is very hot in the lowdands and on the coasts, 
but is delightful in the high parts all the year round. 
There are only two seasons — wet and dry. The rainy 
season begins in the spring or early summer, and lasts 
about six months. 

What grows in these islands? Delicious fruits: man- 
goes, oranges, cocoanuts, limes, pineapples, and bananas; 
many other valuable crops: coffee, tobacco, maize, rice, 
sugar-cane, and cotton; immense forests of mahogany and 
other valuable trees. This beautiful vegetation makes 
these lands fair to look upon. Then, too, there are many 
birds with gorgeous plumage. The islands have gold, 
silver, copper, and iron mines; there are quarries of mar- 
ble; and some kinds of precious stones are found. 

But this region is not a paradise. Snakes and other 
horrid things crawl among the beautiful trees and foliage, 
and poisonous insects swarm in every place. Earthquake 
shocks are often felt, and fearful hurricanes sweep over 
the islands nearly every year, doing much damage. 



of the War with Spain, 



13 



A gentle race of Indians dwelt in these islands at the 
time of their discovery, but the Spanish settlers treated 
the natives so cruelly that after a fev^ years they had 
ceased to exist. Many of the Indians were sent to 
Spain and other countries and sold as slaves; the 
rest were made to work in the mines, and as the In- 
dians had never been 
used to such work, 
they died from the 
hard labor. In later 
times some of the 
islands were bought 
from Spain, others 
were captured, others 
were gained by treaty, 
by the nations to whom 
they now belong. 

At the beginning of 
the war between the 
United States and 
Spain, in 1898, Cuba, 
as I have already said, 
belonged to Spain. 

Spain owned another large island, Puerto Hico, which we 
call Porto Rico, a name meaning " rich port." But I need 
not say anything more about Porto Rico at present. 

Cuba is the largest and most valuable of the West 
India Islands. It was discovered by Columbus about 




14 



Young People^s History 



two weeks after his first landing at San Salvador. Ac- 
cording to his custom, he gave it a Spanish name, but 
somehow the old name clung to it, and to-day the whole 
\^ orld knows the island bj its native Indian name, Cuba. 
On account of its position, it is often called the "Key to 
the Gulf of Mexico;" and Havana, the capital, has a key 
upon its coat of arms. Cuba looks very small upon our 
maps, yet it contains nearly as much land as the State of 

Pennsylvania. 

Perhaps I should 
tell you just here that 
Spain is a kingdom. 
Its ruler. King Al- 
fonso XIL, died in 
1885. His widow. 
Queen Christina, has 
ruled since then, but 
her son will be crowned 
king as soon as he is 
old enough. The 
" little king," as he is 
often called, was twelve 
years old when this 
war began. Queen 
Christina is a good and 
noble woman, and it is not her fault that the people in 
distant islands have been badlv treated. 




of the War with Spain, 15 



CHAPTER II. 



THE " MAINE." 



BEFORE the United States joined in the war, 
the Cubans had succeeded in driving the 
Spaniards out of many places in the east- 
ern part of the island, but could not get posses- 
sion of the western part and the chief harbors. We 
have seen that the war between the United States and 
Spain began in April, 1898. But, two months before 
that time something happened in the harbor of Havana, 
the capital of Cuba, which caused terrible excitement in 
our country. You must understand that many persons 
bclono-ino; to the United States have business in Cuba, 
own property there, and even live there. Though these 
Americans did not take part with the Cubans against 
Spain, yet it seemed sometimes as if they were in danger 
on account of the disturbance in the island. So our 
country decided to send one of our battle-ships — a man- 
of-war — to stay awhile in the chief harbor of Cuba, so 
that the Americans might feel safer by having such a 
ship to help them if they should need help, as I have told 
you. Spain made no objections to this plan, and said 
she would send a ship in return to visit 'New York. 
The ship chosen from our navy was the Maine, com- 



16 



Young People's History 



nianded by Captain Sigsbee. On January 25tli, early 
m tlie morning of a bright warm day, tbe Maine, with all 
ber colors flying, and "vvitb all ber men dressed in tbeir 
best clotbes, drew near tbe barbor of Havana. A Span- 
ish pilot went ont to meet ber, took her carefully through 
the narrow entrance to the fine harbor, and anchored 

1 




U. S. Battlesliip "]Vlame.'» 
her near some other ships. Though the entrance is nar- 
row, yet the harbor itself is large enough to accommodate 
a thousand ships. The entrance is guarded by several 
fortresses, one of which, called ^'Morro Castle," is nearly 
three hundred years old. It stands on a high point of 
land, and for this reason is called "Morro,'' a name that 
means in Spanish, headland, or promontory. 



of the War with Spain. 



17 



Ko doubt the place seemed very attractive to the men 
on board the Maine that bright sunny morning. The 
new part of Havana is pretty, the old part is quaint and 
interesting. There are a number of famous build- 




Morro Castle, Havana. 

ings, one of which is the Cathedral, where the remains 
of Columbus were treasured at that time, but they have 
since been removed to Spain. All the buildings are low, 
for low buildings are the fashion in countries that are 



18 Young People^s History 

subject to earthquakes; tliey are built of stone, and gen- 
erally adorned with bright colors. There are wide ave- 
nues, and large parks and gardens. 

If you should visit Havana, you would see many cur- 
ious sights. All the houses, hotels and stores have iron- 
barred windows, which gives one the impression that the 
inmates are confined there. Many houses have large 
gates which open into beautiful gardens and court yards. 
Some of the streets have very funny names, such as 
" Ladies' Delight," and " Fat Stick," when the Spanish 
names are translated into our language; and they have 
bright-colored awnings stretched across, from side to side. 

The fish market is one of the most noted buildings in 
the city. It has one long marble table running the en- 
tire length of the building, which has one end open to 
the harbor. Poultry and fruits are brought to the doors 
of the houses in baskets which are carried on donkeys 
or the little horses of the country. Often you can see 
what looks like a large bunch of grass, slowly moving 
over the pavements, but as it gets nearer you will see 
the head of a donkey sticking out of one side, while 
his tail alone is visible on the other side. This is the 
way that food for horses and mules is brought into the 
city; no hay is used, only green feed. Tne milkman 
does not call at the house, as w^ith us, but instead drives 
his cow up to the door and supplies you dir^^ct from 
her with as much milk as you wish to buy. Cuarcoal ia 
almost the only fuel used in cooking, and the ranges look 



20 Young People^s History 

like benclies placed against the walls with holes in the 
tops of them. But we must return to the battleship 
Maine. 

There was no special work for the Maine to do; she was 
simply to stay in the harbor till further orders. The 
Spanish officers called on Captain Sigsbee, and he re- 
turned their visits, according to the rules that naval offi- 
cers of all countries are bound to observe. Yet it was 
easy for the men of the Maine to see that they were not 
welcome guests. The Maine had twenty-six officers, and 
a crew of three hundred and twenty-eight men. With 
her guns, ammunition, and other valuable stores, she was 
worth $5,000,000. She had been three years in service, 
having left the Brooklyn navy-yard in November, 1895. 

The evening of February 15th, 1898, was dark and sul- 
try. At eight o'clock Captain Sigsbee received the re- 
ports from the different officers of the ship that eYerj 
tiling was secure for the night. At ten minutes after 
nine the bugler sounded " taps," the signal for " turning 
in," and soon the ship was quiet. At forty minutes after 
nine a sharp explosion was heard, then a loud, long, roar- 
ing sound, mingled with the noise of falling timbers; 
the electric lights went out, the ship was lifted up, and 
then she began to sink. The Captain and some of the 
other officers groped their way to the deck, hardly know- 
ing what had happened. They could do nothing; the 
ship was sinking fast, and was on fire in several places. 
The fdrce of the explosion was so great that it threw 



of the T7ar with Spain. 



21 



Captain Sigsbee out of his cabin, where lie sat writing a 
letter, and against William Anthony, a marine who was 
on duty as a sentry. As coolly as though nothing had 
happened, Anthony saluted the Captain and then said: 

" Sir, I have the 
honor to inform you 
that the ship has been 
blown up and is sink- 
ing/' 

Small boats came 
out from the other 
ships, and rescued 
many men from the 
Maine. The Spaniards 
helped the sufferers in 
every possible way, 
taking them to the hos- 
pitals in Havana, where 
they received the best 
care that the hospitab 
could give. 

In that awful destruction of the Maine, two officers 
and two hundred and fifty-four of the crew were lost. 
Several of those who were rescued, died afterward. 

The next day divers went down into the water to see 
what they could find in the wreck, and nineteen dead 
bodies were brought up. The Spanish officers of Hav- 
ana asked Captain Sigsbee to permit the city to give the 
men a public funeral; and a plot of ground in Colon 

Z — IVar with Spain 




22 Young People^ s History 

Cemetery, outside the city, was given to the United 
States free of expense forever. The day of the funeral 
all the flags were put at ^' half mast/' as a sign of mourn- 
ing, and the stores were closed. Crowds of people joined 
the long funeral procession. 

In the latter part of the year 1899, however, the Maine 
dead were brought from Havana by the battleship Texas, 
then commanded by Captain Sigsbee, formerly of the 
Maine. They were laid away in Arlington Cemetery, 
near Washington, on December 28th, with simple re- 
ligious services and the honors of war, in the presence of 
the President of the United States and his Cabinet, offi- 
cers of the army and navy, and many other spectators. 

Besides Captain Sigsbee and Father Chidwick, who 
was chaplain of the Maine at the time she was blown up, 
three others who lived through that awful night were 
present. They were Lieutenant Commander Wain- 
wright, who was the executive officer of the Maine and 
who afterwards sank the Furor and Pluton at Santiago; 
Lieutenant F. C. Bowers, formerly assistant engineer of 
the Maine; and Jeremiah Shea, a fireman of the Maine, 
who was blown out of the stoke-hole of the ship through 
the wreckage. 

After three volleys had been fired over the dead, and 
the bugles had rung out the soldiers' and sailors' last 
good night. Captain Sigsbee introduced Shea to President 
McKinley. Being asked for an explanation of his es- 
cape, he responded, as he had done to Father Chidwick 



24 Young People^s History 

when lie visited him in the hospital in Havana, where he 
lay covered with wounds and bruises, and with nearly 
every bone in his body broken: 

" I don't know how I got through. I was blown out. 
I guess I must have been an armor-piercing projectile!" 

The work of saving the guns and other valuable 
things on the Maine was carried on for some time. 
Among other things that the divers recovered was a 
splendid silver service that had been presented to the 
ship by the state of Maine. The keys to the magazines 
w^ere found in their proper places in the captain's cabin, 
and his money and papers were also recovered. Finally, 
it was found that the hull of the great ship could not be 
raised, and in April the United States flag, that had been 
kept flying above the wreck since the night of the fatal 
explosion, was hauled down and the ship formally de- 
clared out of commission. 

Of course, the awful disaster caused deep sorrow in 
the United States. There was great excitement also, for 
many persons thought that some of the Spaniards had 
wrecked the Maine on purpose. The harbor was full of 
" mines " or immense iron shells filled with stuff that will 
explode. All countries at war protect their harbors in 
this way. 

President McKinley appointed men to examine the 
wreck and find out all they could about the explosion. 
They found that the ship was destroyed by a " mine," 
but could not prove that the Spaniards had purposely 
caused the " mine " to explode. 



26 Young People^ s History 

So there will always be a mystery connected with the 
horrible destruction of the Maine. 

On April 10th, Consul-General Lee and such Amer- 
icans as wished to do so, left Havana and returned to the 
United States. From that time on, it seemed to the peo- 
ple of the United States that war with Spain was inevit- 
able, and preparations for it were carried on rapidly. 
On April 19th — w^hich, by the way, was the anniversary 
of the first battle of the war of the Revolution and also 
of the Civil War — Congress declared that the United 
States must interfere in the affairs of Cuba and help the 
Cubans to become a free and prosperous people. This 
declaration was signed by President McKinley on the fol- 
lowing day, and then our minister to Spain, Mr. Wood- i 
ford, was instructed to tell the Spanish government wliat 
had been done, and also what would be done, if Spain did 
not promise before the 23d to withdraw her soldiers 
from Cuba and give up the island to the Cubans. 

The message was sent by one of the submarine cables 
which connects America with Europe, and the operator 
who received it told the Spanish officials about it before 
sending it to its destination. So, before Mr. Woodford 
could deliver his message, the Spanish government sent 
him his passports, which was a polite hint to leave the 
country, and he did so, at once. This action on the part 
of Spain was virtually a declaration of w^ar, and was so 
* regarded by the President and the people of this country. 
On the 22d, a blockade of Cuban ports was established 
by tlie navy, and a Spanish ship was captured. 



of the ^Yar with Spain. 



27 



CHAPTEK III. 



THE BLOCKADE. 

I HAVE already told you that the Cubans, in their re- 
bellion, bad driven the Spaniards out of many places 
in Cuba, but had not been able to get possession of 
the chief harbors. So 
now it was thought 
best that our ships 
should blockade the 
large harbors of Cuba. 
Do you know what 
blockade means? It 
means to surround a 
place held by the 
enemy, and stay there, 
doing any damage that 
can be done, cutting 
the enemy off from 
outside help, and so, 
in time, if he is not 
strong enough to break 
the blockade, he must surrender, as his supply of food 
will give out. 

On the morning of April 22d, a squadron under the 




28 Young People^ s History 

command of Acting Rear-iy^lmiral Sampson sailed from 
Key West to establish a blockade of the most important 
Cnban ports. The ships which were to be stationed 
off Havana reached that port on the same day; others 
were sent to different ports along the coast, and so the 
blockade was begun. 

All kinds of vessels were employed in this blockading 
service. There w^ere huge battleships, splendid cruisers, 
and gunboats that could go into shallower waters than 
the large ships. There were also monitors — immense 
fighting machines with decks but a little height above 
the w^ater and big guns in circular turrets. Then there 
were torpedo boats — very swift vessels armed with 
deadly torpedoes, any one of which could sink the largest 
ship afloat. 

Some of our large pasisenger steamships had been 
appropriated by the Government for war service, and 
did good work for the blockade, as they can move very 
fast. They flew about from place to place as " scouts " 
or " spies " ; they carried messages ; they cut the Spanish 
cables under w^ater, asd Avere useful in other ways. 

The gunboat ]^ashville sailed from Key West with 
the squadron, and before the sim had fairly risen she 
saw the smoke of a steamer away off to the westward. 
She gave chase at once, and, as the vessels drew near, 
the stranger was flying the flag of Spain. The Nashville 
fired a shot across her bows, and this was the first shot in 
the war between the United States and Spain. The 
Spaniard was not inclined to stop, and it required another 



of the War with Spain. 29 

sliot before she would stop her engines. The ISTashville 
sent an officer in a boat to inform the steamer that she 
was a prize to the United States. She was found to be a 
Spanish merchantman, the Buena Ventura, and was sent 
in charge of a prize-crew to Key West. During the 
next thirty days, many other Spanish ships, with cargoes 
worth millions of dollars, were captured by different ves- 
sels of the navy. A few were released, but the larger 
part were condemned by a prize-court and sold. 

The first action of the war was a small affair, but I 
shall mention it, as it was much talked about at the time. 
It took place on April 27th, a few days after our ships 
had begun the blockade. The Spaniards were building 
new forts at Matanzas, a port about sixty miles east of 
Havana. With the exception of Havana, Mantanzas 
has the finest harbor on the northern coast of Cuba. 
The city itself lies between two sm.all rivers and contains 
many beautiful homes. The liouscs are often decorated 
with colored tiles, and with their luxuriant gardens make 
a charming picture against the background of liills that 
rise beyond the beautiful valley of the Yumurri, which 
is one of the loveliest spots in Cuba. In t'mes of pea-e 
the exports of sugar and molasses from Mantanzas have 
been very large, but the Cuban army burned many of 
the finest plantations in the district. 

The ships that engaged the new forts that the Span- 
iards were adding to the castle of San Severino and other 
defences of Mantanzas, were the flag-ship E'ew York, the 



30 Young People^s History 

monitor Puritan, and the cruiser Cincinnati. The 
Spaniards fired the first gun, and then the Xew York took 
up a position between two batteries and delivered broad- 
sides right and left. Then the Puritan's big guns came 
into play, and then the Cincinnati poured a stream of 
shells into the forts. It did not take long to knock the 
Spanish defences into sand-heaps — only about half an 
hour — and then the American ships stood out to sea. 
As they were doing so, the Spaniards fired one more 
shot. The Puritan had the range and sent a twelve- 
inch shell in reply. It was one of the best shots of the 
war. It struck the Spanish gun fairly, dismounted it, 
and then burst, throwing the sand high in the air. The 
Spanish account of the engagement stated that no dam- 
age whatever was done, except the killing of one mule ! 

Great excitement and great anxiety were caused by 
the news that a large and powerful fleet was coming 
from Spain. Our Government could not tell whether 
these ships would come to a Spanish port in the West 
Indies, or whether they would attack one of our large 
cities on the Atlantic coast. We had not ships enough 
to protect all our ports as well as to blockade Cuba, so 
much care was needed to make good plans, and our naval 
officers were kept busy. It was most important to watch 
for the Spanish ships. 

The "CapeYerde"fleet, as the Spanish shipswere called, 
troubled the Kavy Department of the United States day 
and night. They knew that it sailed from the Cape 



32 



Young People's History 



Yer(^e Islands in the latter part of April, but tliat was 
about all they did know regarding it. At last it w^as 
seen off the Island of Martinique and then it was lost 
again. It was next heard from at Curacoa, an island in 
the Caribbean Sea, off the north coast of Venezuela, 




U. S. Battleship ''Oregon.*' 

but before the American ships could reach it, the 
Spanish admiral had coaled and provisioned his ships at 
Willemstad, the chief city on the island, and was off 
again to sea. 

There was some reason to think that the Spanish fleet 
might catch our great battle-ship Oregon, coming as fast 



of the War with Spain. 



33 



as it could to the Eastern Coast. I must take time to 
tell you about the Oregon. Shortly before the war be- 
gan, the Oregon was in the Pacific Ocean; but when she 
received a message to come to an Atlantic port, to be 
ready for war with Spain, she took coal at San Francisco 
and started — March 19th — on her long voyage. She 
went south through the Pacific Ocean, east through the 
Strait of Magellan, and then turned northward into the 
Atlantic Ocean. Then the closest watch was kept for 
the enemy; the guns 
were always ready, the 
lights were covered 
every night. Though 
Captain Clark did not 
know that war had 
really begun before 
that time, still he knew 
that there was danger. 
On May 24th the Ore- 
gon arrived at a port in 
Florida, having come 
14,000 miles, through 
all kinds of weather, in 
two months' time, 
without breaking any- 
thing about the ship. So the Spaniards did not catch the 
Oregon, but later in the year she helped to catch them. 
When the Oregon arrived at Jupiter Inlet, Florida, 




34 Young People^ s History 

she was as able to figlit or to run as on the day she was 
pnt into commission. When she left San Francisco she 
had nine hundred tons of coal on board. During the 
voyage she consumed almost four thousand tons. Cal- 
lao was the first port where the Oregon stopped. From 
there she ran down the Pacific coast, and after passing 
through the straits sailed up the eastern coast of South 
America to Rio Janeiro, where she was notified by the 
American consul that the United States and Spain were 
really at war. There were now two other American war- 
ships at Rio. The gunboat Marietta had joined the Ore- 
gon near the straits, and the Buffalo, which the United 
States had bought from Brazil, was waiting for them at 
Rio. I will let Captain Clark tell you the story of the 
remainder of the voyage, in his own way: 

" Several long cablegrams were exchanged between the 
Government and myself. Xothing whatever in the way 
of instructions was issued that would hamper me or in 
any way abridge my responsibility for bringing the Ore- 
gon home. We sailed from Rio on May 4. I decided, 
when we had been at sea a little while, to leave the Buf- 
falo and the Marietta to shift for themselves. They were 
so slow that I feared the Oregon might be late in arriving 
where she was most needed. I left these ships off Cape 
Frio, one hundred miles above Rio, after signaling them, 
^ Come to Bahia, or run ashore if attacked by overwhelm- 
ing force.' I reached Bahia on the 8th, but we were told 
to ^ Come on.' We sailed next morning, and this run to 



of the \Yar with Spain, 35 

Barbadoes was the most thrilling of the entire voyage. 
We steamed absolutely without a light. 

" Indeed, the entire trip from Sandy Point to Jupiter 
Inlet was a lightless voyage. In pitchlike darkness we 
drove along at our highest speed — seeing lights many 
times, but always avoiding the ships that bore them. , We 
were out of court. We had no right of Avay without a 
light. Even if we met a vessel on our port, we gave way. 

" Night and day the men stood at the guns. Not for 
a single moment was vigilance relaxed. The strain on 
the men was terrible. For four days at a time hammocks 
were never strung. Watch and watch about, the men 
lay beside the guns, sound asleep, while the men on duty 
stood silently above them. All the lookouts were 
doubled and changed with unusual frequency. 

" Barbadoes was reached just before daylight, May 
18, and after rushing two hundred and fifty tons of coal 
aboard, we sailed the same evening. Still the orders 
read, ' Come on.' From our consul I learned that Cer- 
vera's fleet was at Martinique, just to the north of us. 
This fleet had been extolled for speed and fighting quali- 
ties. I am not a rash man. I was not looking for that 
fleet. The situation seemed critical. Sailing just before 
dark, I headed northwest, apparently into the heart of 
the Caribbean Sea. This information, I have no doubt, 
was promptly communicated to Admiral Cervera. But 
as soon as the darkness of a moonless night had thor- 
oughly set in, I changed the course to due south, and ran 



36 Young People's History 

below Barbadoes and thence far to the eastward before 
I took the Oregon to the nortliward. "We thus passed far 
to sea east of Martiniqne, and eventually turned into the 
north Atlantic beyond St. Thomas. I carefully avoided 
the AYindward Channel and the shallow waters of the 
Bahamas. 

" I didn't know where the Department wanted to use 
me. I was in the dark as to the location of the two fleets. 
I knew one had been at Hampton Eoads and another at 
Key "West, and the charts told me that Jupiter Inlet was 
in telegraphic reach of all points on the coast. From that 
place I had coal enough to make the run to either of the 
two fleets." 

With scarcely a day's delay, the Oregon joined the 
Korth Atlantic Squadron, in Cuban waters, and was one 
of the vessels under Commodore Schley when that officer 
trapped the Spanish fleet in the harbor of Santiago. 

When we think of the oflicers and men on the decks of 
a warship, we must not forget the force of men below 
the decks. The engineers, firemen and stokers do as good 
work, and are entitled to as much praise, as the fighting 
force above. In battle they are kept under the hatches, 
and, as a rule, never know of the progress or the result of 
a fight until it closes. They work in a temperature of 
from one hundred to one hundred and fifty degrees, by 
half-hour stretches. The roaring furnaces make the fire- 
rooms almost beyond a man's power to endure, and we 
should give a great deal of our praise to the brave fellows 
w^ho make the power that moves the ship. 




.?-^«r ivith Spain 



The Men Who Wake the 



Power. 



37 



38 Young People^ s History 

You know that we saw in the first chapter, that Spain 
owned another large isLand some miles east of Cuba — ■ 
an island called Porto Eico. 

This island was sighted by Columbus on Xovember 
16, 1493, and, three days later, he anchored in one of 
its bays. In 1510, and again a year later. Ponce de 
Leon visited the island and established a settlement, to 
wdiich he gave the name of San Juan Bautista. Spain 
did not always hold it peaceably, however, for at differ- 
ent times the Dutch and the English tried to take it from 
her. The people of the island used to be terribly annoyed 
by pirates and buccaneers, but that was a long time 
ago. 

The Spanish used to call San Juan the ^' Eich Port of 
John the Baptist,'' and it was a great source of profit to 
them for nearly four hundred years. Ponce is the largest 
city in the island, but San Juan has the advantage of a 
large, protected harbor. Like Havana and Santiago, San 
Juan has its Morro Castle, and within its walls are the 
buildings of a small military town, — houses for troops, 
a chapel, bake-house, and guard-room, with dungeons 
down by the sea, and underneath it. 

The city of San Juan lies upon an island connected 
with the mainland by a bridge and a causeway. The 
streets are narrow, the houses are low, mostly of a single 
story, and are built in the old-fashioned Spanish style, 
with thick walls around the courtyard. The fronts are 
ugly and are painted all sorts of brilliant colors — pink. 




Palace and Sea-wall, San Juan, Porto Rico. 



40 Young People^s History 

blue, purple and yellow. There are heavy shutters in 
the windows for protection, but there are no panes of 
glass in the town. Behind the gloomy walls are splendid 
gardens and courtyards, with splashing fountains, shaded 
by palms. The city contains a cathedral, a theatre, a 
city hall, the Governor-General's palace, and several fine 
churches, and in the center is quite a large park, with 
concrete walks and seats, as with us. There is no turf, 
however. All around this park the market women gather 
every morning, selling poultry, eggs, vegetables and 
flowers, and in the evening there is music by a military 
band. 

It was thought that the Spanish fleet, which had 
caused our Government so much anxiety, might go to 
San Juan, the captital of the island, and so, before the 
Oregon arrived, and before any of the Spanish ships 
had been seen, Admiral Sampson -took some of his ves- 
sels from Cuba to Porto Rico in hope of meeting Ad- 
miral Cervera, the Spanish commander, and his fleet. 
Our ships reached San Juan in the evening of May lltli, 
but could see nothing of the Spanish ships. Xext morn- 
ing our ships fired upon the forts guarding the harbor, 
to try the strength of the enemy. But finding the forts 
stronger than he thought they were. Admiral Sampson 
drew off his fleet. He could not spare the time, or spend 
his powder and shells, upon San Juan then. The im- 
portant thing to do was to find the Spanish fleet. So 
Admiral Sampson again sailed toward Havana. 



of the War with Spain. 41 

Tlie two ports on tlie nortliern coast of Cuba that 
seemed most likely to attract the Spanish fleet were 
Havana and Matanzas. There was one port on the 
southern coast that seemed to be a good one for the Span- 
ish fleet — the port of Cienfuegos. So our ships continued 
the blockade of Havana and Matanzas, and now Com- 
modore Schlej was sent with several vessels to watch 
Cienfuegos. 

The citj of Cienfuegos is situated some distance back 
from the sea, in a harbor wdiiclf winds and twists about 
between high hills, completely obscuring it from ships a 
little distance from the shore. The word Cienfuegos 
means " a hundred fires." Close by the water's edge there 
stood a cable-house, where one end of a submarine cable, 
which reached to Santiago, some three hundred miles to 
the eastward, was secured. On one side of the cable-house 
was an old fort or lookout, such as the Spaniards used 
to have all along the coast. On the other side was a 
light-house. The Americans wished to destroy commu- 
nication between Cienfuegos and Santiago, so they sent 
an expedition to cut the cable and destroy anything that 
would be of use to the Spaniards. 

The ships that were sent to do this work were the 
Marblehead, the l^ashville and the Windom. You will 
remember that the J^ashville fired the fi^rst gun in the 
war with Spain. She is not a pretty boat at all. She 
is built differently from other vessels of her class, and 
her two tall funnels, or smoke-stacks, give her an un- 



43 Young People^s History 

gainly appearance. Her commander was a splendid 
officer, though, and her crew were the bravest of the 
brave. I must tell you a little of her work after she cap- 
tured the first prize of the war. 

One day, while in company with the Marblehead and 
the Eagle, she saw a big Spanish mail steamer leave the 
harbor of Cienfuegos and put to sea, followed by nine 
Spanish gunboats. The Xashville started in pursuit of 
the big steamer, leaving the other American ships to 
attend to the gunboats. She soon overhauled the steamer, 
which proved to be tlie Argonata, and took possssion of 
her. Her cargo was a very rich one, and among the pas- 
sengers were twenty-nine Spanish soldiers and officers. 
These w^ere taken on board the Xashville. Meanwhile, 
the Marblehead and the Eagle had disposed of the gun- 
boats. It only took them half an hour to drive them 
back into the harbor, with their smokestacks shot off, and 
several of them in a sinking condition. The Xashville 
then turned over her prize to the Marblehead and started 
for Havana. 

On her way she discovered a big gunboat, and, as the 
two ships drew near, the Spanish officers, who had been 
allowed on deck, saw that she was not an American ves- 
sel, and danced for joy. An instant later they were 
shoved down a hatchway and placed in the hold. As 
the stranger came closer it was plainly seen that she was 
nearly twice as large as the Nashville and more heavily 
armed, but the commander of the American vessel did 



of the War with Spain, 43 

not hesitate an instant. He cleared liis sliip for action 
and trained his guns on her. Just then she hoisted Eng- 
lish colors and dipped them in salute to the stars and 
stripes that were floating above the Nashville. She 
proved to be the Talbot, an English ship cruising in 
those waters. The whole afl^air w^as a splendid display of 
courage on the part of the Nashville in clearing ship and 
showing fight to the big English gunboat. Every man 
on the American ship knew that if the stranger proved to 
be a Spanish war vessel the chances were ten to one 
against the Nashville ; but none of them stopped to think 
of that, but made ready to fight her. Now we will return 
to Cienfuegos and see how our splendid seamen cut the 
Spanish cables in the very face of death. 

Volunteers from the Marblehead and the Nashville 
manned the boats that were sent into the shallow waters 
to grapple for the cable. Each ship furnished a cutter 
and a launch, under the command of a lieutenant. The 
men who were to do the work were in the cutters, and 
each of the launches carried a small rapid-fire gun to 
protect the workers as much as possible. The Nashville 
shelled the shore and then the boats were ordered in. 
They went within one hundred yards of the shore and 
then began to grapple for the cable. As calmly as though 
they were fishing, the men worked with their hooks. At 
last the cable was caught, and soon it was brought to 
view. It proved not to be the Santiago cable, but about 
a hundred feet of its length were cut out of it, and the 



44: Young People^s History 

brave fellows grappled for another. They found it^ 
hauled it up, and, with what tools they had, hacked it in 

two. 

They were not unmolested, however, for Spaniards 
began to show themselves on the shore, and a perfect 
hail of bullets dimpled the water around the Americans 
as they worked. When a man in the boats was hit, 
another took his place. Sturdy arms at the oars held the 
boats against the strong current, while others hacked 
away the tough wires. 

Then the guns of the ships sent an iron storm among 
the rocks and trees and the soft sands. They drove the 
Spaniards to shelter, and then they knocked the cable- 
house, the fort and the light-house to bits. It was not 
intended at first to destroy the light-house, but when it 
was discovered that the Spaniards used it for a shelter 
while firing upon the Americans, the gunners were or- 
dered to cut it down, and in a short time nothing re- 
mained of it but a heap of ruins. 

The personal bravery of the men in the boats was won- 
derful. Although untried in warfare, they conducted 
themselves like veterans in the hour of trial. Cable cut- 
ting is one of the new features of modern warfare, but 
that made no difference to the brave jackies and marines 
that volunteered for the work. One of their number was 
killed and several were v/ounded, but officers and men 
performed their work with the utmost coolness and 
bravery. 



46 Young PeopIe^s History 

Before we leave the subject of cutting an enemy's 
cables, and thus destroying one of their best means of 
communication, I will tell you of another exploit. The 
St. Louis, which was one of the big ocean steamships that 
the Government hired during the war, was the vessel 
that performed it. A few days after the cables were cut 
at Cienfuegos, the St. Louis was ordered to Santiago to 
cut the cables at that point. One very dark night the 
boats left the big ship and began to grapple for the cables. 
About three o'clock in the morning they returned with 
a long piece which they had cut out of one of the cables. 
About eight o'clock the St. Louis went to work to find 
the other cable, and after working for three hours, the 
l)atteries on shore opened fire on her. They kept up a 
furious fire for three-quarters of an hour, but the St. 
Louis replied so vigorously that the batteries were si- 
lenced and the garrisons sent running in all directions. 
Then they found the cable, hauled it on board and cut it. 
Afterwards the St. Louis cut another cable at San Juan, 
the capital of Porto Rico. 

Do you wonder why these three ports were thought 
to be the best for the Spanish fleet to enter? You know 
that Havana is the capital of Cuba; most of the citizens 
were Spaniards; thousands of Spanish soldiers were there; 
all the chief officers also. So it was thought that the 
Spanish A'avy would try to unite with the Spanish 
Army. From Matanzas and from Cienfuegos the troops 
from the Spanish ships could go easily by railroad to 



of the War with Spain, 47 

Havana, througli a part of the country still in the hands 
of the Spaniards. I may have told you more than you 
care to hear about the coming of the enemy's fleet, but 
I want to give you an idea of the great anxiety felt by 
our Government at this time, and to help you to under- 
stand what follows. You must remember that we had 
not vessels enough to blockade every port, so we block- 
aded the ports that seemed most dangerous. 

Where was the Spanish fleet all this time, while our 
IN^avy was so troubled? If you look at a map of Cuba 
you will find that the eastern end of the island — the east- 
ern province — is called Santiago de Cuba. The chief city 
of the province is on the southern coast, and bears the 
same name. The city of Santiago is next in importance 
to Havana, and is said to be the oldest city in the Western 
Hemisphere. 

Santiago is a picturesque city, five miles from the 
coast. It was founded by Don Diego de Velasquez, who 
named it for the patron saint of Spain. Santiago, San 
Diego and St. Jago are really one name, which is trans- 
lated St. James in our language. The city is built along 
a sloping hillside, and its massive buildings are tinted 
pink, blue, green and purple. There are plenty of red- 
tiled roofs, among which rise towers, steeples and palms. 
The houses are low and built around courtyards, where 
flowers and palms grow in profusion. The floors are of 
brick or marble. There is a plaza, or central square, and 
a great cathedral. The streets are narrow and dirty, and 



48 Young PeopWs History 

in tlie quarters where the poorer class live, babies and 
pigs roll together in the gutters, and boys and girls with- 
out a rag of clothing on them hold out their hands for 
alms. 

The first impression of Santiago is one of filth and pov- 
erty, dilapidated buildings and general decay; but if you 
climb the hills that encircle the city and look over the 
red-topped buildings to the glistening bay, the prospect 
is lovely. 

As you approach the mouth of the harbor from the 
coast, you can at first see nothing but a break in the hills; 
but soon you discover, perhaps, the most picturesque 
fort in the western hemisphere. It is the Morro Castle, 
one hundred years older than its namesake at Havana, 
perched on a rock at the entrance to the channel. This 
channel is very narrow, but it winds and twists about 
until it opens into a broad, land-locked bay — the famous 
harbor of Santiago — with houses running down to the 
water's edge. 

Into this beautiful harbor, while our ships were watch- 
ing other ports and looking in other directions. Admiral 
Cervera and his fine Spanish ships quietly sailed at day- 
break on the 19 th of May. It was a strange port for the 
Spaniards to seek, and it was a fatal one. 

"While Sampson was looking in one direction for Ad- 
miral Ccrvera's ships, Commodore Schley, with another 
?quadron, was close upon their track. For awhile he 
thought they were in Cienfuegos, but when he found 



of the War with Spain. 



49 



ihej were not tliere, he kept on up the coast. His flagship 
was the splendid cruiser Brooklyn, and among his ships 
were the Massachusetts, the Texas and the Iowa — all 




Morro Castle, Santiago. 

immense battleships. He also had a number of smaller 
vessels, and the swift St. Paul, another of the famous 
ships hired bj the Government. The St. Paul was com- 
manded by Captain Sigsbee, who, you will remember, 



50 Young People's History 

was in command of the Maine when she w^as blown up 
in Havana harbor. 

At last Commodore Schley became satisfied that the 
long-looked-for fleet w^as in the harbor of Santiago. On 
the morning of May 29, Captain Sigsbee, in the St. 
Paul, ran close enough to the mouth of the harbor to 
see some of the Spanish ships inside, and the long game 
of hide-and-seek was over. Commodore Schley at once 
established a strict blockade, and then sent word to Ad- 
miral Sampson that the Spanish ships had been found 
and that he had them safe. He very shrewdly said: 

" We have bottled them up, and they will never get 
home!" A few days later, the two squadrons were con- 
solidated, with Commodore Schley the second in com- 
mand. 

I want to tell you a little about Commodore Schley — - 
one of the finest officers of the navy. He graduated from 
the jSTaval Academy at Annapolis, at the head of his class, 
and from that time entered upon a career in which 
he served his country in nearly every quarter of the 
globe. When the Civil War broke out, he staid by the 
old flag when many of his brother officers went with the 
Confederacy, and during the war performed many gal- 
lant and meritorious services. He had seen all kinds of 
naval service, and was at home among conditions that 
required dash and courage, zeal and persistency, before 
he was given the command of the "Flying Squadron," 
and sent to find the Spanish ships. 



of the War with Spain. 



ST 



He had done sucli things as to rescue seven men who 
were starving to death in the Arctic regions. He had 
been sent by the Government to do this, and, realizing 
that it must be done quicklj, he pushed on so fast that 
he found the seven 
men alive. H he had 
been slower in his 
movements they would 
have been dead, for 
they were in the last 
stages of starvation 
and exhaustion. At 
another time, some of 
his sailors were stoned 
in the city of Val- 
paraiso, and one of 
them was killed. 
Schley trained his guns 
upon the city and kept 
them there until the 
murderers were given 
up to justice. He was the right kind of a man to have 
around the coasts of Cuba, wasn't he? 

Now I am going to tell you the names of the Spanish 
vessels, and give you an idea of the blockade. 

Within the harbor were four large Spanish ships and 
two new, fast torpedo-boat destroyers, all commanded by 
Admiral Cervera. The ships were the Infanta Maria 




52 Young People^ s History 

Teresa, named for a Spanish princess; the Yizcaja, 
named for a province in Spain; the Cristobol Colon, 
which is the Spanish name for Christopher Columbus; 
and the Almirante Oquendo. Many years ago Spain had 
a famous admiral whose name was Oquendo, and in rec- 
oirnition of his services the Spanish Government made 
a law that there should always be" a ship in their navy 
bearing his name. That is how they had the Almirante 
Oquendo, which means Admiral Oquendo. The names 
of the torpedo-boat destroyers were the Furor and the 
Pluton. All these warships were splendid vessels, and 
were commanded by brave men. We shall hear about 
them later. 

Our ships were outside the harbor — a few miles from 
its mouth, in a line like a half-circle. Our big ships 
were the New York, the Brooklyn, the Texas, the Iowa, 
the Oregon, the Indiana, and the Massachusetts. There 
were a number of smaller vessels, and one of them, the 
Gloucester, afterwards gained great fame. Our ships 
could not anchor, as the water was too deep, so they were 
always moving back and forth. 

As I have told you, between the sea and the harbor, or 
bay, is a long, narrow channel with high cliffs on each 
side, and on these cliffs are forts, which guard the en- 
trance to the harbor. 

Our men could not see the Spanish ships in the har- 
bor, but could see only the narrow channel and the hills 
and forts above it. Our men watched carefully, to see 



of the War with 8 pain, 53* 

tliat no Spanish ship came out. For the first few nights 
of the blockade a bright moon lighted up the channel, 
but after the moon failed, the place was wonderfully 
lighted by the great " search-lights " of our ships. Four 
battle-ships took turns of two hours each in standing at 
the entrance of the channel and moving the " search- 
lights." The ships were always headed toward the shore, 
and steam was kept up. 

And so our great gray vessels, grim monsters of the 
sea, waited and watched near the harbor of Santiago de 
Cuba. 

Blockading work is very hard upon officers and men. 
It requires ceaseless vigilance at all hours of the day and 
night. Besides preventing an enemy's ships from com- 
ing out of a blockaded port, it is very important to prevent 
vessels with supplies from running in. During the Cu- 
ban blockade our vessels captured at least one large ship 
loaded with coal that was intended for Admiral Cervera's 
fleet. When nations are at war, they do not allow other 
nations to supply their enemies with anything that will 
help them. There are international laws about this, and 
if a warship belonging to a nation which is at war with 
another, puts into a neutral port for coal or provisions, it 
is only allowed to buy enough to last it to its nearest 
home port. It is not allowed to remain in a neutral port 
more than twenty-four hours, either. 

The purpose of a blockade is to cut off supplies and 
stop all communication with the enemy by sea. When 
this is done, merchant vessels of all nations are therefore 

4 — War with Spain 



54 Young People^s History 

forbidden to pass or even to approacli the line, and the 
penalty for disobedience is the confiscation of both ship 
and cargo, whether the latter is contraband or not. If a 
ship does not stop when hailed, she may be fired upon, 
and if she is sunk while endeavoring to escape, it is her 
own fault. Blockade running is perilous business, and is 
usually attempted under cover of night, or in stormy 
weather, and it is as full of excitement and adventure as 
war itself. The motive is usually either to take advan- 
tage of famine prices, or to aid the enemy by bringing 
supplies or carrying despatches. Neutral ships are enti- 
tled to some sort of warning that a blockade exists, and 
in the case of Cuba, the United States notified neutral 
Governments, announcing the fact, and stating exactly 
the extent of coast covered. 

Before we were at war with Spain, the Government 
restrained and punished those who organized expeditions 
to help the Cubans. We were obliged to do this because 
we were a neutral nation. But after our w^ar with Spain 
began, we sent all kinds of war material to the Cubans, 
so as to help them to fight Spain. I will tell you about 
one of these expeditions. 

About the middle of May, the steamer Florida sailed 
from a port in the State for which she was named, with 
supplies for the Cuban army. In addition to a great 
quantity of provisions, clothing, shoes and medicines, she 
carried several thousand rifles and an immense amount 
of ammunition. Down in the hold were a hundred horses 



of the War with Spain, 



55 



and mules, and among the passengers were several hun- 
dred recruits for the Cuban army. 

The Florida reached the Cuban coast in safety, and 
was met at the appointed place by more than a thousand 
Cubans. It required three days and one night to unload 




Searching for Contraband. 

the cargo. Small boats conveyed the stores to the eager 
hands that hurried them inland. The mules and horses 
swam ashore. Women and children flocked to the scene, 
bringing fruit and vegetables to exchange for coffee and 
meat — the first they had tasted for a long time. 



56 Young People's History 

Wlien the cargo was all ashore, the Florida prepared to 
return to the United States. Then the Cuban soldiers 
ranged themselves along the shore; women and children 
grouped behind the ranks, and a Cuban marching song 
burst from happy hearts as the Florida steamed away. 

A great deal of blockading duty was done-by the small 
vessels of the fleets, the torpedo-boats and the armed tug- 
boats. Many strange encounters took place during those 
nights when these little craft rolled about in the Carib- 
bean swells, or moved along in hostile waters w^ithout a 
light visible on board. 

The tug-boat Leyden had one of these. With her two 
or three small guns she held up a big ship one night, 
firing across her bow, and demanding, " What ship is 
that?" It was the same vessel that had the encounter 
with the Kashville, the story of which I have told you; 
and so the answer came back: 

" This is Her Majesty's ship, Talbot." 

The idea of a tug-boat like the Leyden halting a war- 
ship in this fashion was not particularly pleasing to the 
British Captain. ISTeither was he better pleased when 
some one on the tug-boat called out, " Good night, Tal- 
bot!" But he took it as a new experience, and solemnly 
replied: 

*^ You may go, Leyden." 

The spirit that animated the officers of our navy in 
these trying times was well expressed by Lieutenant 
Fremont, who commanded the torpedo-boat Porter. 
Fremont was the son of John C. Fremont, whom you 



of the War with Spain, 



67 



may possibly remember as a noted explorer and pioneer 
in the western part of the United States, and a general 
during the Civil War; and be possessed the bravery and 
daring of bis father. Some one said to him : 

" Those Spanish destroyers have heavier batteries than 
yours. What would 
you do if you ran 
across one of them out 
here?" 

"Well/' replied 
Fremont, " it's my 
business to keep them 
from getting in among 
the fleet. I'd try to do 
it. I'd engage a de- 
stroyer, and if I found 
his battery was too 
heavy for me I'd close 
in. If a chance of- 
fered, I'd torpedo him. 
If not — well, this boat 




Lieutenant John C. Fremont. 



has made twenty-six knots. I'd go at him full speed. I 
think the Porter would go half way through him before 
we stopped." 

"And then?" 

" And then, I think, there would be a swimming 
match. It saves time to have your mind made up in 
advance in such matters." 



58 Young People^ s History 



CHAPTEK lY. 

THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY. 

THE greatest event of the war between the United 
States and Spain took place in a strange part of the 
world, far from both of those countries. If you 
look on a map of Asia, you will find a large group of 
islands in the Pacific Ocean, east of the China Sea. They 
are called the Philippine Islands. The largest-of them is 
called Luzon, and its chief city is Manila, on a large bay 
of the same name. 

These islands were discovered nearly four hundred 
years ago, by Magellan, as we call him in English, a 
famous sailor and explorer. He was the first to sail 
through the strait that is south of South America; and 
so that strait is still called by his name. After passing 
through that strait he led his fleet on, farther west, north- 
west, over the Pacific Ocean, till he came to the islands 
east of the China Sea. Magellan took possession of them 
in the name of the King of Spain; for, though not a 
Spaniard, he was working in the interests of Spain. He 
gave the islands a name, but the name did not cling to 
them; and some time after, they were named Islas Eil- 
ipinas — or, as we say in English, Philippine Islands — 



of the War with Spain, 59 

in honor of King Philip II., of Spain. But the savage 
tribes dwelling in the islands did not submit tamely to 
Magellan's conquest, and in a fight with them he was 
killed. Still, the Spaniards held the islands, and estab- 
lished towns there, some of which have become very im- 
portant. It is said that there are people from all parts 
of the world living in Manila. 

Have you ever heard any one speak of the Filipinos? 
They are natives of the islands, descendants of the Span- 
ish settlers; besides these there are the native savage 
tribes, still living in many places. The Filipinos had 
often tried to gain their independence, but had not been 
successful. "When they heard of the rebellion in Cuba, 
they thought they would make another attempt against 
Spain, and so began a new rebellion. And this is just 
how matters stood when the war began between the 
United States and Spain. 

The United States, having some ships in one of the 
ports of China, sent word to their commander. Commo- 
dore Dewey, to turn his attention to the Philippine 
Islands. So Commodore Dewey prepared his fleet in the 
best way possible and started for Manila. The ships 
sailed Wednesday afternoon, April 27th. 

You must not think that Commodore Dewey had big 
battle-ships in his fleet. He had only what we call 
" cruisers,'' not big battleships. The ship on which 
the commander of a whole fleet sails is always 
the " flagship." Then, of course, each ship has its own 



60 Young People's History 

captain and other officers. Would you like to know the 
names of the ships that won such fame in Manila Bay? 
The "flagship" was the Olympia; then there were five 
other cruisers: the Baltimore, the Boston, the Raleigh, 
the Concord, the Petrel; and a small vessel called the 
Hugh McCulloch. There were also two steamers carry- 
ing coal and provisions. All the fleet had been newly 
paint/ed gray, to match our other vessels in this war. 

During the voyage, the men were very busy getting 
ready for a battle, for they knew that the Spaniards had 
ships in Manila Bay, and that they would fire upon the 
new comers. Everything made of w^ood that might be 
shot and splintered, was thrown overboard; for flying 
splinters are very dangerous on shipboard. Tables, 
benches, chests, and rails were thrown into the sea. The 
men were told what to do in time of battle, and how to 
help the wounded, and the doctors arranged the rooms 
to be used as hospitals, so that every thing would be 
handy. 

AYe have seen that the fleet sailed Wednesdav after- 
noon, and the next Saturday morning land was sighted — 
the island of Luzon. On, on, the ships sped, and that 
evening they reached the entrance to Manila Bay. Then 
they stole along in the darkness, with their lights covered, 
so that the Spaniards might not see them. Our men were 
doing a daring deed. They were entering a strange bay, 
by night, where not one of them had ever been before; 
they did not know the soundings, they had no harbor 
pilot. The entrance to the bay was guarded by fortresses 










s 

<1 






62 Young People's History 

containing big Ivrupp guns, and there was good reason 
to think that there were "mines" in the water, which 
might blow the ships to pieces. Still, every man was 
ready to do his duty. 

Some of the forts did discover our ships, and fired a 
few shots; but no harm was done, and our ships steamed 
on. At daybreak they drew near the city of Manila. 
The Spaniards were expecting them, having had notice 
of their approach. The Spanish ships, under Admiral 
Montojo, were waiting at a place called Cavite, seven 
miles from Manila. They were protected by batteries 
on the shore. Having steady guns on the shore should 
have been a great help to the Spaniards, as it is easier to 
fire a steady gun than to fire a gun on a ship that is riding 
up and down on the waves. 

The battle began a little after five o'clock, Sunday 
morning, ]\ray 1st, 1898. The Spaniards fired the first 
shot. All the vessels of our fleet were out in the bay, 
but, as' soon as the Spaniards began to fire, our fighting 
ships started forward. They did not answer the Spanish 
fire at first, but steamed up the bay, in a wide circle, 
toward the city of Manila, then turned and came back 
toward Cavite. The Olympia led the way. After her 
came the Baltimore, Raleigh, Concord, Petrel, and Bos- 
ton. All had their battle-flacfs flving. 

Uninjured by the enemy's shots, the Olympia and her 
Train drew near the Spanish forts and ships. At a dis- 
tance of a little more than four thousand yards, the 



64 



Young People^ s History 



Oljmpia fired, and the roar of her first gun was the sig- 
nal to her companions to open fire- Then the firing from 
both sides became fast and furious. Our ships moved rap- 
idly about, up and down, past Cavite five times. Admiral 
Montojo came out in his flagship, the Eeina Christina, 
to attack the Olympia. The Olympia poured such a 

storm of shot at her 
that she was compelled 
to turn back toward the 
harbor. But the Reina 
Christina had met her 
doom. As she turned, 
a huge shell from the 
Olympia struck her, 
set her on fire, and 
killed her captain and 
many of her men. 
Admiral Montojo 
changed his flag to 
another ship and came 
forward again, but soon 
had to turn back. But 
a moment of great 
peril came to the Olympia. Two fierce little torpedo- 
boats came toward her, ready to hurl her to destruction. 
The gunners of the Olympia instantly opened such a 
shower of shells from the smaller guns that the surface 
of the water was covered with foam. The little boats, 




of the War with Spain, 



65 



witlioiit having had time to send forth a torpedo, were 
overcome. One of them "blew up, then sank, with her 
crew, beneath the waves. The other, pierced with shots, 
turned toward the shore and ran upon the beach, a wreck. 
After more than two hours of fierce fighting. Commo- 
dore Dewey led his ships out into the center of the bay, 
and the battle ceased 
for a time. The true 
reason for this move- 
ment was known 
only to some of the 
officers. The men 
were told that they 
were to haul off to 
get a little rest and 
some breakfast. The 
men believed that 
they had done great 
damage to the Span- 
iards, and were eager 
to finish the battle at 
once. In fact, no 
one really knew then how much damage had been done to 
the Spanish fleet. The results were not known till after- 
ward. Though the men were hopeful and in good spirits, 
Commodore Dewey and his staff thought the situation 
serious. Three of the Spanish ships were on fire, and the 
Boston had also broken out in flames, The Olympia had 




The "Olympia" Leading the Way. 



66 Young People's History 

not enough ammunition to continue the fight two hours 
longer. Our ships were far from home, and could not 
get a supply of ammunition in less than a month's time. 
There was good reason to think that the Spanish forts 
were well supplied. 

The Spaniards thought, when our ships drew away 
from the shore, that the Americans had been overcome 
and were leaving in order to bury their dead. They 
found themselves sadly mistaken. 

Our men, strengthened by the rest and a breakfast of 
tread and cold meat, started again to battle a little before 
eleven o'clock. Soon several of the Spanish ships were 
on fire, and some of them sank. After the Spanish fleet 
had been destroyed, some of our ships attacked the forts 
on the shore and made them surrender. At five minutes 
after one o'clock the Spaniards hauled down their flag. 

The Spaniards did many brave things that day, and 
fought desperately, but they were not good marksmen. 
They did not aim their guns well. They lost eleven 
ships, and had many men killed and w^ounded. Our 
ships were not much injured, only seven of our men were 
Vv^ounded, and none were killed. 

AVhen our ships drew together after the battle, and our 
men found that they had suffered so little, and that no 
one had been killed, they knew not how to control their 
feelings. Some of them cried like little children. But 
such tears are not childish. It is said that when the 
Spanish forts gave the signal of surrender, Commodore 



68 Young People's History 

Dewey turned to his officers near him, and said: "I've 
the prettiest lot of men that ever stepped on shipboard, 
and their hearts are as stout as the ships." 

You must notice that the city of Manila had not been 
taken in this battle. We shall see later about its surren- 
der. But the battle of Manila Bav was one of the most 
remarkable naval battles ever fought. 

When Commodore Dewey received his orders to "cap- 
ture or destroy" the Spanish fleet, that was known to be 
somewhere about the Philippine Islands, the Asiatic 
squadron, as his ships were called, was lying in the har- 
bor of Hong Kong, which is an English port. After 
the blowing up of the Maine, which occurred in Feb- 
ruary, you will remember, he began to put his ships in 
the very best possible condition for a war with Spain, 
which he and his officers now thought inevitable. 
Every emergency was provided for; all the vessels were 
in complete fighting trim. 

Because of the neutrality laws, of which I have told 
you, after war was declared Dewey's ships could not 
stay at Hong Kong more than twenty-four hours, so he 
moved them to Mirs Bay, a Chinese port, and from there 
set out to find the Spanish fieet. 

A naval officer, now retired from the service, told me 
not long ago, the words " capture or destroy " have been 
used in instructions to naval officers for three hundred 
years. He also spoke of his acquaintance with Dewey 
during the Civil AVar, and upon long cruises when they 



of the War with Spain. 



69 



were shipmates; and particularly dwelt upon the ability 
and good judgment that characterized him as a naval 
officer. 

When Dewey received his orders to " capture or de- 
stroy " the Spanish fleet, he is said to have remarked: 
"Thank the Lord! at 
last I've got the 
chance, and I'll wipe 
them off the Pacific 
Ocean." He did not 
know what he was to 
meet in the way of re- 
sistance, but there was 
not a man in the fleet 
that doubted the out- 
come of the encounter. 
He found the Spanish 
fleet, fought it imtil 
not a ship was left to 
fly the flag of Spain, 
and then sent word to 
the Spanish Governor- 
general that if another shot was fired at his ships he would 
lay the city of Manila in ashes. 

The Island of Corregidor guards the entrance to Ma- 
nila Bay, but it seemed to be asleep as Dewey's gray ships 
stole silently by. Once a shell screamed over the Ra- 
leigh, followed by another; but the Raleigh, the 

5 — IVar with Spain 




70 



Young People's History 



Concord and the Boston answered the challenge and 
soon all was silent. At daybreak the fleet was 
about ^YQ miles from Manila, the American flag flying 
from each ship. 

Day breaks quickly in the tropics, and as the sun 




Church of the Friars, Manila. 

flashed his beams above the horizon, a beautiful picture 
revealed itself to the men of Dewey's fleet. Before 
them lay the metropolis of the Philippines, walled in 
part like a mediseval town; the jangle of church belk 



of the War with Spain. 



n 



came from lofty towers. To the right, and below the 
city, lay the Spanish fleet for which they had been 
searching. 







Dewey on the Bridge. 

The Spaniards fired the first gun from a powerful 
battery in front of the city, and the Concord sent two 
shells in reply, as the American fleet swept grandly 
past. Before them wpp the Spanish ships-otwar and 



T2 Young Peoph^s History 

the fortifications a/- Cavite; between, were shallow watcra 
where they dared no^ go. Still thej swept on, preserving 
their distances as though performing evolutions in time 
of peace, the Olvmpia in the van, drawing nearer and 
nearer to the ships that fltw the red and yellow flag of 
Spain. The shore batteries i^gain roared defiance to the 
invaders, but Dewey stood quietly on the bridge of the 
OhTupia, surrounded by the mcn:bers of his staff. He 
wore the usual white uniform of the service, and a gray 
cap such as travelers and bicyclers wear. A huge jet of 
water now sprang from the peaceful se&; showing that 
the Spaniards had fired a submarine mine, but no hara? 
•was done. Then Dewey gave the quiet order tc Cap^ 
tain Gridley, who was in the conning tower: 

^^ Gridley, you may fire when you are ready." 

Then the guns of the Olympia spoke, and those of the 
other ships followed her example. During the ^ve timei 
they passed and repassed the Spanish ships and forts, 
their courses resembled a gigantic figure 8. 

Between the entrance to the bay and the city of Ma- 
nila is an arm of land or promontory, pointing upwards 
and towards the city. It is on the rig^t hand side of 
the bay and is called Cavite. The word means a fish- 
hook, and the promontory looks something like one. Be- 
hind Cavite and in the bay of the same name, the Spanish 
ships were stationed, and at the little town of Cavite 
was an arsenal and quite a respectable navy-yard, 

"When Dewey withdrew his ships to ascertain what 




Landing the ;Marines at Cavite. 



73 



74 



Young People's History 



damage the Spaniards had inflicted upon them, the Span- 
iards thought they had driven them off, and so they sent 
a Sispatch from Manila to Spain saying that they had 
won a great victory over the Americans; but when 
Dewey made the second attack, after breakfast, there was 

not much more for him to do, 
for the Spaniards were well 
whipped. Dewey had met a 
foreign foe in its own waters, 
and added another victory to 
the glorious record of the navy 
of the United States. 

After the battle, one of the 
signal boys on the flagship 
wrote a very interesting lettei 
to his friends at home: 

" . . . . We are all nearly 
wild with the effects of victory. 
The pride of Spain is here un- 
der our feet. No doubt before 
this letter reaches you, you will 
read full accounts of the battle 
— a battle that was hard fought 
and bloodless for the victorious. Not a man in our fleet 
was killed. Six men were slightly wounded on the Balti- 
more. 

" Say, it was grand ! AYe left Mirs Bay, in China, at 
two a.m., "Wednesday, April 27th. Saturday afternoon 




of the War with Spain, T5 

w© sighted Subig Bay. The Boston and the Concord 
were sent ahead of the fleet as scouts. We expected 
to find the Spanish fleet and have our first engagement. 
We could not find them there, so the Commodore and 
Captains held a council of war and decided to run past 
the forts at night. 

" It was nine-thirty that night when we sighted the 
entrance. We went quietly to quarters, loaded our guns, 
shook hands with each other and trusted to luck. I was 
on signal watch on the aft bridge and could see every- 
thing. Not a sound was heard. At twelve o'clock we 
were under the guns of the first fort. It was an island 
called Corregidor. I tell you I felt uneasy. The moon 
was well up, but not a light could be seen. 

" There were two signal officers and three other boys 
with me. We were laughing and joking with one 
another to steady our nerves. When we were well under 
the guns a rocket was fired, and every man braced himself. 
Then you could hear the breech blocks closing and the 
officers telling the men to aim steady and to kill. 

^' Well, all the ships passed that fort, but there were 
twenty-six miles to go yet, and God and the Spaniards 
alone knew how many batteries, mines and torpedoes 
w^ere ready to send us all to eternity. 

" The Olympia passed two more forts The Balti- 
more was next to us. She passed all right, bat when the 
Raleigh came under the guns of the second fort, there 
was a flash and I heard the shriek of the first shell. 



76 



Young People^s History 



Then almost before the shell struck, there was a spont 
of flame from the Raleigh, and her shell killed forty 
men, as we learned yesterday. Two more shells were 
fired at ns, but we were well past them. Then the men 
were told to lie down. 




Eapid-fire Gun. 

" ^Kow, commenced the signal corps work. Soon our 
signal lights were flashing the order to close up. At 
four o'clock I was told by the signal officer to lie down 
and catch a nap. 

" At four, coffee was given to all the men and at fif- 
teen minutes to five, the shore batteries had shells drop- 
ping all around, but we did not fire until sixteen min- 



of the TFar with Spain, 



77 



utes past ^ve. The Spanish fleet was in sight off the 
navy yard. Then the fight started in earnest. For a 
while I thought my time had come. After we made 
the signal 'commence firing/ we had nothing to do but 
watch the fight. The shells flew over our heads so quick 
I paid no attention to them. 




The Olympia's Military ^Mast. 

" After an hour and fifteen minutes, the Spanish ad- 
miral had two ships sunk under him. We withdrew for 
a short time, not knowing w^e had them whipped. As 
we were leaving, three ships were burning. At nine- 
twenty-five, we started again. In a short time the ar- 



78 Young People's Ilisiory 

senal went up and tlie Government buildings were in 
flames. 

" The battle lasted altogether three hours and some 
minutes. At eleven-fifteen the white flag was shown, 
and you might hear ns cheer. The ship was hit about 
six times. The Spaniards lost terribly. The rebels at- 
tacked the enemy. It is something wonderful when you 
consider the advantage they had over us. They had 
eleven ships to our six. Their ships could run behind 
a neck of land near the navy yard. The shore bat- 
teries were firing on us from three points. But our 
marksmanship was too much for them; our fire was so 
rapid they could not stand it. They lost about two 
thousand men, so the rumor says. We sank four ships 
and burned seven. It was a grand, beautiful sight to 
see those ships burn. 

" I was ashore yesterday, and we destroyed all the 
guns. I managed to get a few souvenirs. Two tor- 
pedo boats attempted to blow us up, but one was sunk and 
one was beached. I saw her. She was full of holes and 
blood was all over her bow 

" I hope the ships at home have as good luck as us. I 
wrote this on captured paper with a Spanish officer's 
pen." 

Like many other vessels in the navy, the Olympia has 
a complete printing outfit on board, and issues, at inter- 
vals, a very creditable sheet called the " Bounding Bil- 
low." This is its account of a Spanish shot; 



of the War with Spain. 



79 




" One shot struck the Balt*imore 
in the starboard waist, just abaft 
one of the six-incli guns. It 
passed through the hammock net- 
tings, exploded a couple of three- 
pounder shells, wounding six men, 
then across the deck, striking the 
cylinder of a gun, making it tem- 
porarily useless, then running 
around the shield it spent itself be- 
tween two ventilators, just forward 
of the engine-room hatch. The 
shell is in possession of the cap- 
tain.'' 

"When the news of the glorious 
victory in Manila Bay reached the 
United States, the people went 
wild with joy. Commodore 

Dewey was thanked by Congress, 
and afterwards was made a rear- 
admiral. In December, Congress 
revived the grade and rank of ad- 
miral and conferred it upon Hear- 
Admiral Dewey, and he and all of 
his men were presented with 
medals of honor made expressly 
for the purpose. The raising of 
Admiral Dewey's new flag on the 



80 



Young People's History 



01}Tnpia was an interesting ceremony. As the blue 
bunting with its four white stars fluttered to the peak 
of the flagship, the crews of all the vessels in the fleet 
were at quarters; the officers in full dress for the occasion. 
The marines paraded ; the drums gave four " ruffles " 
as the Admiral stepped upon the deck; the Olympia's 
band struck up " Hail to the Chief," and an admiral's 
salute of seventeen guns echoed across Manila Bay from 
every American ship; followed by salutes of the same 
number of guns from each foreign war vessel in the 
harbor. 





The Bewey ^ledal of Honor. 



of the War with Spain. 



81 



CIIAPTEE y. 



THE MERRIMAC. 

WHILE Admiral Sampson liad been fixing tlie 
blockade he had also been forming plans to 
close the channel, and so keep any large 
ship from stealing out 
of the bay. For, al- 
though our men 
"watched closely, there 
was always a chance 
that in a fog or storm 
the Spanish shipsmight 
slip out without being 
seen. Admiral Samp- 
son knew that the 
Spaniards could l-emo ve 
anything that might be 
sunk to close the chan- 
nel, but the work 
would take time, and 
meanv/hile our Army 
might arrive on the land back of Santiago, and then our 
Army and ISTavy could help each other. Time was what 




82 Young People^s History 

was needed in order to have all things ready for forcing 
the Spaniards out of Santiago and taking possession of 
the city. 

So, plans were made for sinking a coal steamer across 
the narrowest part of the channel, and thus blocking the 
way. Now you shall hear of one of the bravest deeds 
ever done in war. 

The work of closing the channel was put into the hands 
of Lieutenant Hobson. The collier Merrimac was chosen 
as the vessel to be sunk. You have no idea how 
much had to be done before the Merrimac was ready. 
There were hours and hours of work. The crew had to 
take off all the things that were not to be sunk, the 
machinery had to be fixed in certain ways, the heavy 
anchors had to be placed in the right parts, and the tor- 
pedoes, which Lieutenant Hobson made for blowing 
holes in the vessel at the right moment, had to be fitted 
into their places. More than two thousand tons of coal 
had to be shoveled away from certain places in the hold 
to make room for the torpedoes and to leave spaces for 
the water to rush in and sink the vessel. So, much hard 
work was done before the good collier was ready to be 
forced under the waves. 

There was only a small chance that the men who took 
the Merrimac into the channel would ever see their 
friends again. Death in the waves, or death in the hands 
of the Spaniards, was the prospect. Lieutenant Hobson 
said that he would ^ot take one man more than w^as 



of the War with Spain. 83 

needed. A signal was put up on all the ships, to find 
out the men who were willing to go in the Merrimac. 
Hundreds of brave fellows sent in their names, begged 
to go, gave good reasons why they thought they ought 
to go, and were grieved to be refused. Lieutenant Hob- 
son chose only six, but at the last minute a seventh man 
got his chance; so, counting Lieutenant Hobson, there 
were eight men going to almost certain death. 

After the passing away of the old wooden ships of the 
navy, and before our war with Spain, it was often said 
that opportunities for individual bravery and daring had 
departed from the navy; but this was disproved in the 
case of Lieutenant Hobson and his men, and in many 
other instances. Every man in the fleet was ready to go 
on the Merrimac and do what he was told to do; and so 
long as such men man our ships our navy can never be 
conquered. They will fight to the uttermost and go 
down with their colors rather than strike them. 

Thursday evening, the second of June, arrives, and 
the Merrimac is all ready for her last voyage. The men 
are on board, waiting for the time to start. Quietly and 
fearlessly they pass the night, but they do not sleep, 
they cannot sleep. Behind the Merrimac, farther out 
at sea, stand the faithful vessels of our fleet, huge, pale 
shadows in the night. The full moon lights up the chan- 
nel that the Merrimac will enter after awhile when the 
moon is low. On both sides of the channel rise the high 
cliffs with their forts. Morro Castle frowns upon the 
scene. Beyond — far beyond, are the mountain tops. 



84 • Young People's History 

A basket of food and a kettle of coffee had been sent 
on board by the flagship, and after midnight the men 
sit down on deck to eat their last meal on board the 
Merrimac. 

A little before two o'clock, Friday morning, June 
3d, the Merrimac starts for the channel. Each man is 
at his post; each knows his duty and intends to do it. 
The men are not wearing their naval uniforms, but are 
clad only in woolen underclothes, woolen stockings, 
with no shoes. Each man wears a life-preserver, and a 
belt with a revolver fastened to it. 

On, on goes the vessel, swiftly, sirrely, heading for the 
channel. Suddenly shots begin to pour upon the Merri- 
mac; the Spaniards in the forts have seen her approach. 
Still she plunges on, not heeding the fire from the forts. 
Lieutenant Hobson gives the signal to stop the engine, 
to turn the vessel in the right way across the channel, 
to fire the torpedoes, to drop the anchors. Shells from 
the forts are exploding all around, and the noise is ter- 
rible. But hard luck meets the Merrimac. A shot has 
broken her rudder, so she cannot be steered; a shot has 
broken the chain of one of her anchors, so the anchor is 
gone; some of the torpedoes will not go off, so not enough 
holes can be made to sink the Merrimac quickly; the tide 
is sweeping her into the channel farther than she ought 
to go. 

The men, having done their work, lie flat on deck to 
avoid the shots, and wait anxiously for the moment 




H 



6 — y/dr with Spain 



86 Young People^ s History 

when the vessel shall go down. In a few minutes the 
Merrimac tosses low to one side, then to the other, then 
plunges, bow foremost, into the waves. Now the men 
are thrown into the whirling water. But see! they man- 
age to swim to the life-raft, which had been fastened by 
a long rope to the Merrimac and is now floating on the 
waves. They cling to the raft, only heads and hands 
above water. They keep quiet, for the Spaniards are out 
in small boats now, looking to see what damage has been 
done. The Spaniards do not see our men clinging to 
the flat raft. So Lieutenant Hobson and his crew stay 
in the water, which is very chilly in the early morning; 
their teeth chatter, their limbs ache. Meanwhile day 
dawns beautifully over the hills of Santiago. 

An hour passes in this way. 'Now a steam-launch is 
seen coming toward the raft. Lieutenant Hobson hails 
the launch, asks for the officer in charge, and surrenders 
himself and his men. They are helped into the launch, 
prisoners in the hands of the Spaniards. The officer is 
Admiral Cervera. 

Naval Cadet Powell, of the New York, performed a 
feat in many respects as heroic as that of Hobson and his 
men. He volunteered to take the launch of the flagship 
and a small crew, patrol the mouth of the harbor and at- 
tempt to rescue Hobson and his plucky crew should any 
of them survive after the Merrimac had been blown up. 
This is his story: 

" Lieutenant Hobson took a short sleep for a few hours, 



of the War with Spain, 



8f 



whicli was often interrupted. A quarter to two o'clock 
he came on deck and made a final inspection, giving his 
last instructions. Then we had a little lunch. 

" Hobson was just as cool as a cucumber. About two- 
twenty I took the men who were not going on the trip 
into the launch and 
started for the Texas, 
which was the nearest 
ship, but had to go back 
for one of the assistant 
engineers, whom Hob- 
son finally compelled 
to leave. I shook 
hands with Hobson the 
last of all. He said: 
* Powell, watch the 
boat's crew when we 
pull out of the harbor. 
We will be cracks, 
rowing thirty strokes 
to the minute.' 

"After leaving the Texas, I saw the Merrimac steam- 
ing slowly in. It was only fairly dark then, and the 
shore was quite visible. We followed about three-quar- 
ters of a mile astern. The Merrimac stood about a 
mile to the westward of the harbor, and seemed a bit 
mixed, turning completely around; finally, heading to 
the east, she ran down, then turned in. We were then 




88 Young People's History 

chasing him, because I thought Hobson had lost his 
bearings. When Hobson ^vas about two hundred yards 
from the harbor the first gun was fired from the eastern 
bluffs. 

" AVe were then half a mile off shore, close under the 
batteries. The faring increased rapidly. We steamed in 
slowly and lost sight of the Merrimac in the smoke, which 
the wind carried off shore. It hung heavily. Before 
Hobson could have blown up the Merrimac the western 
battery picked up and commenced firing. They shot 
wild, and we only heard the shots. We ran in still closer 
to the shore, and the gunners lost sight of us. Then we 
heard the explosion of the torpedoes on the Merrimac. 
Until daylight w^e w^aited just outside the breakers, half 
a mile to the w^estward of Morro, keeping a bright look- 
out for the boat or for swimmers, but saw nothing. Hob- 
son had arranged to meet us at that point, but, thinking 
that some one might have drifted out, we crossed in front 
of Morro and the mouth of the harbor to the eastward. 
About five o'clock we crossed the harbor again, within a 
quarter of a mile, and stood to the westward. 

" In passing we saw one spar of the Merrimac sticking 
out of the water. We hugged the shore just outside of 
the breakers for a mile, and then turned towards the 
Texas, when the batteries saw us and opened fire. It 
was then broad daylight. The first shot fired dropped 
thirty yards astern, but the other shots went wild. I 
drove the launch for all she was worth, finally making 
the Xew^ York. The men behaved splendidly,'' 



of the War with Spain. 



89 



How did our brave men fare as prisoners? They were 
taken to one of the Spanish warships, were fed and 
clothed, and treated as friends. Ad- 
miral Cervera sent a message to Ad- 
miral Sampson, saying that all the 
men were safe and would be well 
treated. But they were not allowed 
to stay long on the ship. After a 
few hours they were 




taken to Morro Castle, 
which they did not 
find a pleasant prison, 
though they were not 
badly treated. Lieu- 
tenant Hobson, by 

climbinfi^ up to the 

^,.,,^ ' 1 • 1 • n Hobson's Cell. 

little Window m his cell, 

could see our ships far out at sea. In a few days the 
prisoners were taken from Morro Castle to another prison 
in the city of Santiago. You shall hear of them again. 



90 Young People's History 



CHAPTER YI. 

MORE WORK DONE BY THE NAVY. 

I HAVE not told you all the brave deeds done by oul 
Navy soon after our ships had reached Cuba, but I 
Avill go back, for a few minutes, to the 11th of May. 
A very sad affair took place at Cardenas, a port about 
twenty miles east of Matanzas, the place where the first 
shots were fired. Some of our smaller vessels blockading 
Cardenas were bold enough to go into the harbor to fight 
some Spanish gimboats. Though our men gained a vic- 
tory, it was dearly bought, for our torpedo-boat Winslow 
was nearly destroyed, and five of her men were killed. 
That same day, across the island, at Cienfuegos, on the 
south shore of Cuba, our men succeeded in cutting the 
cables under the water, the story of which I have told 
you. 

Before the Cubans began to fight the Spaniards, in 
1895, Cardenas was a very pleasant city in which to live. 
So many Americans who had business interests in Cuba 
lived there, that it was frequently spoken of as the 
American city. Like Matanzas, it was the shipping point 
for a great sugar-growing district, and one of the finest 
sugar plantations in Cuba was in the vicinity of the city. 



of the War with Spain, 91 

The bay used to be a famous resort for pirates, but they 
were exterminated a great many years ago by war vessels 
of the United States. Now I will tell you the story of 
the Winslow. 

The blockading vessels off Cardenas w^ere the Machias, 
the Wilmington and the Hudson. It was determined to 
enter the inner harbor and attack three small gunboats 
which were known to be there. While preparations for 
the attack were being made, the Winslow came in from 
off Mantanzas, for coal, and was given a place in the at- 
tacking force. The Winslow, Wilmington and Hudson 
entered the inner harbor through a small channel to the 
eastward, near Blanco Cay. The Winslow went in closer 
than the others, and almost before her plucky com- 
mander* knew it, the fire of the Spanish gunboats and of 
some shore batteries was concentrated on this frail craft. 

The Winslow was a torpedo-boat, and this class of ves- 
sels do not have very thick sides or carry heavy guns. 
They are very fast and the powerful torpedoes they carry 
can destroy the largest and heaviest ship afloat. 

The Winslow returned the Spanish fire splendidly, but 
at last a shot crashed into her bow and disabled her boiler. 
Another tore away her steering gear; and then she rolled 
helplessly while the Spaniards made her a target for 
every gun they could bring to bear. Seeing her helpless 
condition, the Hudson came to her assistance and tried 
to get a line on board. After awhile she succeeded, but 
when she attempted to tow her away the line parted. 



92 



Young People^ s History 



She made a second attempt, but just at the instant the 
little group on the Winslow caught the line, a shell burst 
in their very faces. Several of the crew, including the 
commander of the Winslow, were wounded, and Ensign 
Bagley and four seamen were instantly killed. There 
was scarcely a man left on the torpedo-boat to make the 
line fast, but it was done at last, and the Hudson towed 

the shattered Winslow 
out of danger. It was 
a very brave thing that 
the officers and men of 
the Hudson did, and 
later they were 
thanked by Congress, 
and a medal of honor 
was presented to each 
of them. 

I think you will be 
pleased to learn that 
the next day the Wil- 
mington went into the 
harbor again, and with 
her big guns tore the 
forts and batteries to atoms, sank two gunboats and two 
other vessels, and burned a block-house. 

Ensign Bagley, the first and the only line ofilcer in 
the navy to fall in the war with Spain, was one o^ the 
most popular of young naval officers. While flt the 




of the War with Spain, 93 

Academy at Annapolis lie became known as an all-round 
athlete, but bis greatest triumphs were on the foot-ball 
field. His record throughout his naval career was stain- 
less, and the news of his death was received with sorrow 
by the people of the United States. 

Now I will tell you the story of how the United States 
flag was raised for the first time on the island of Cuba 
during the war; and I will tell it in the words of Ensign 
Willard, of the Machias, the officer who performed the 
deed. It was done while tbe fight was going on in Car- 
denas harbor. 

" The Machias drew too mucli water for the channel to 
the eastward, and moved up the main channel to within 
one mile of its narrowest part abreast of Diana Cay. 
This channel was supposed to be mined and the mines 
operated from the block-house and signal station on 
Diana Cay. This place was shelled, and, under cover of 
this fire, a boat's crew of nineteen sailors and marines, 
under my command, made a landing on the opposite side 
of the Cay. 

" The Spanish hastily left the place, disappearing com- 
pletely. A Spanish flag, signal flags, etc., and a quantity 
of ammunition, were captured, and the United States flag 
raised. Thfen search was made for mines and the channel 
dragged for two hours. Before leaving, everything at 
the station was burned or destroyed, including nine large 
row-boats. For the raising of this flag I was later 
awarded, through the ITew York ' Herald,' a prize of one 



94 



Young People's History 



hundred dollars, which was divided pro rata by me among 
the men who accompanied me on the expedition." 

Early in June, brave work was done by our sailors at 
Guantanamo, a short distance east of Santiago. They 
took the harbor and destroyed the forts there, in order 
that our ships might have a place where they could get 

coal w^ithout going far 
from Santiago. The 
coal steamers could not 
supply the whole fleet, 
so our vessels had been 
going for coal all the 
way back to Key West, 
south of Florida. It 
was a great help to 
have a coaling place at 
Guantanamo, but our 
sailors had much hard 
work to take the place. 
Is^ow I will tell you 
about some of this hard 
work, and something about two men who made it possi- 
ble to land the marines and establish a coaling station 
in Guantanamo Bay. The men were Commander Mc- 
Calla, of the Marblehead, and Captain Brownson, of the 
Yankee. 

Long before the Spanish fleet put into the harbor of 
Santiago, the Marblehead was along the southern coast 




of the War with Spain, 95 

of Cuba, poking ber nose into every inlet, cutting 
cables, and communicating with the Cubans. McCalla 
bad ber stripped of everything but her guns and 
her steering gear, and everywhere she went she became 
a terror to the Spaniards. She dared to go anywhere and 
do anything. Every man on the ship was devoted to 
McCalla, and every gunner on board was a crack shot, 
because they were kept shooting at something all the 
time. If they couldn't find a Spanish gunboat to shoot 
at, they fired at floating targets. 

When it was decided to clear everything Spanish out 
of the bay, so our ships could use it, McCalla and Brown- 
son were sent down there to do the work; but first I will 
tell you a story about Brownson, so you can see that he 
was just the right kind of a man to go along with Mc- 
Calla. 

In the early part of 1894 there was a civil war in 
Brazil. The entire Brazilian navy had taken sides with 
the insurgents and completely blockaded the harbor of 
Rio de Janeiro. Ships of all nations were there, waiting 
to enter the harbor, but the insurgents would not let 
them. Admiral Benham was sent there to look after 
American interests, with his flagship, the San Francisco; 
and Captain, then Commander, Brownson, was there 
with his ship, the Detroit. The blockade had to be 
broken, and Brownson was selected as the man to do it. 

One morning there was a stir on board the Detroit. 
The awnings came down, her flag was sent aloft and her 



96 



Young People^s History 



guns were shotted. Brownson ordered the anchor 
hoisted, and, with the men at the guns, the cruiser headed 
towards the city. The flags of the English, German and 
Italian ships were dipped in salute as she moved ahead. 
Two American ships, the Amy and the Good News, wero 
anchored under the guns of two of the insurgent fleet. 

As the I>etroit passed 



close by the Trajano, 
a marine on that ship 
raised a musket and 
ilred a bullet over the 
heads of the sailors on 
the Amy, which was 
following close behind 
the Detroit. 

When the shot was 
fired Brownson turned 
to a gunner and or- 
dered him to shoot into 
the Trajano at the 
water line and about 
six feet from the stern. The order was misunderstood 
and was sent across the Trajano's bow instead. 

''Trajano, ahoy!" hailed Brownson. "If you fire 
again I will sink you." Xot a shot was fired. 

" You go ahead," shouted Brownson to the Amy, " and 
I'll protect you " ; and although there were insurgent 
ships all about, the Amy passed into the harbor unmo- 




of the War with Spain. 



97 



lested, with the ships of other nations closely following 
her. Then the Detroit returned to her anchorage. 
Brownson had raised the blockade. 

Guantanamo Bay is one of the most famous harbors 
on the southern coast of Cuba. 
It is deep, wide and smooth 
as a mill pond. At the en- 
trance the harbor is broad and 
open, but afterwards it is nar- 
rower, and in this place the 
Spaniards had placed a lot of 
mines and two little gunboats. 

When the Marblehead and 
the Yankee steamed into the 
bay they began to make trou- 
ble for the Spaniards at once. 
There was a block-house on a 
hill, but they quickly knocked 
that to pieces. Then they si- 
lenced the fire of the fort and 
chased the gunboats as far as 
they could go. Next they 
shelled the woods, and, having 
made a general cleaning out, they sent word to the fleet 
that they could land the marines at any time. 

On June 10, a detachment of marines from the Ore- 
gon landed, and soon afterwards six hundred more were 
landed from the troop-ship Panther. They found plenty 




98 Young Peojyle^s History 

of evidence that the Marblehead's shells had induced the 
Spaniards to depart in a hurry. Watches, hammocks, 
two field gunsy and a lot of ammunition, were lying 
around. There were a few buildings left, but the marines j 
soon set fire to them. They then drove off a few Span- 
iards who were about, and then pitched their tents. 
Pretty soon they were attacked by a large body of Span- 1 
iards, but they drove them off after having several men ; 
killed and quite a number wounded. The place of en- ; 
campment was named Camp McCalla, in honor of the 
gallant commander of the Marblehead. 

Before the marines were reinforced they were fighting 
nearly all the time. It was the first time that most of 
them had been in battle, but they fought like veterans. 
The Spaniards were very cunning and constantly planned 
surprises for them, but the marines finally drove them 
away and held their position until reinforcements came. 
One of the marines, in writing home, said: 

" They fight Indian fashion, and the guerillas strip off 
all their clothing and dress themselves with leaves and 
crawl along the ground like snakes, and at night it is very 
hard to see or hear them. Then, again, they dig holes 
in the ground and cover them over with brush and con- 
ceal themselves there until their prey comes along. Their 
signals are very hard to understand, and they sound like 
birds and are very deceiving. 

" We have to carry our rifles and ammunition with us 
wherever we go. Yesterday morning, while we were eat- 




A Spanish Guerilla. 



100 Young People^ s History 

ing our breakfast, tliey fired upon us, and we immediately 
pursued tliem. We had quite a battle and came out vic- 
torious by a big score. We killed sixty and left about 
fifteen or tAventy badly wounded. AVe had a lucky es- 
cape, only two men being wounded. We stayed out all 
night, and were relieved by another company this morn- 
ing, and we had nothing to eat for forty-eight hours; but 
this is not the first time that we have missed our meals — 
it is an every-day occurrence. We had four hardtacks, 
a little piece of butter and a cup of coffee. 

" We were reinforced by sixty Cuban insurgents last 
night. Thqy were fitted out with uniforms and rifles by 
the Marblehead, and they all carry that deadly-looking 
weapon, the machete." 

The machete is the national weapon of Cuba. It looks 
somewhat like a sword, but instead of being pointed like 
that weapon, it is broader at the part farthest from the 
hilt. A strong man can strike a terrible blow with it. 
It is used all over the island as an agricultural tool as well, 
for it serves the purpose of a scythe or an axe. 

A brave deed was done by a young officer of the Navy 
all by himself — a deed as brave as that done by Lieuten- 
ant Hobson. It was not really known how many Span- 
ish ships were in the harbor of Santiago. I have told 
you that they could not be seen by our ships on account 
of the narrow entrance and high cliffs. It was very im- 
portant to know how many Spanish ships there were. 
So Lieutenant Blue went ashore at some safe point, a^d 




•j—'lVar with Spain 



102 



Young People^s History 



climbed round the hilltops of Santiago at night, looked 
at the harbor, and counted the ships twice, in order to 
make no mistake. It was a long journey and full of 
danger. Lieutenant Blue might have been taken as 

a spy, but he reached 
our ships again, and 
made his report to Ad- 
miral Sampson'. 

Early in June our 
blockading ships made 
efforts to destroy the 
forts at the harbor of 
Santiago, but did not 
succeed, though the 
shells from our ships 
did a good deal of 
harm. It was on ac- 
count of these attacks 
that Lieutenant Hob- 
son and his crew were 
removed from their 
cells in Morro Castle and taken to another prison, as I 
have told you. The English Consul at Santiago, a wise 
and good man, told the Spanish general that Lieutenant 
Hobson and his men could not, in honor, be kept where 
they might be killed by shells from their own ships. So 
the prisoners were removed. 

The forts at Santiago received a terrible punishment, 




of the War with Spain, 103 

if tliey were not destroyed, and one of Admiral Cervera's 
ships, the Maria Teresa, was considerably damaged by 
shells that went over the forts into the harbor. There 
were several other warships in the harbor besides those 
that came with Admiral Cervera. The Reina Mercedes 
was nearly destroyed by the shells from onr ships. Our 
old friend, the Oregon, sent a big shell over the hills that 
swept nearly everything off her decks. Other shots rid- 
dled her hull and sank her. 

The Santiaoo fortifications were bombarded a number 
of times and some splendid shots were made. There was 
a battery to the west of the harbor that fired more accu- 
rately than the others, and so the Texas got the range 
and dropped a shell into the powder magazine one day. 
Everything about that battery seemed to be in the air 
at once when that shell exploded. Nothing was left of it 
but a pile of ruins and a big hole in the ground. 

There is a ship in the United States navy that is unlike 
any other in the world. She has three long guns which 
are built into the ship and do not turn to one side or the 
other. The whole ship has to be pointed at the object 
which the gunners wish to hit. She does not fire shells 
loaded with powder, as other warships do, but uses a 
long shell filled with gun-cotton, or dynamite, both of 
which are deadly explosives. When one of these shells 
strikes anything the effect is terrible. The Vesuvius, for 
that is the name of this ship, fired several of these shells 
over the fortifications at Santiago, in the direction where 



104 



Young People's History 



tlie Spanish fleet was lying. She did not hit any of 
them, but she tore great holes in the sand and rocks near 
by. It is said that the Spaniards called the Vesuvius 
" The Hurler of Earthquakes," because of the damage 




Forward Deck and Guns of the Vesuvius. 

her shells did. The guns of the Vesuvius are really fir- 
ing tubes. ISTo powder is used in them, compressed air 
being the power that expels the shells. Very little noise 
is made, and there is no smoke. 



of the War with Spain. 



105 



If one small shell should strike the Yesuvius it would 
send men and boat to the bottom at once, because she 
has so much deadly gun-cotton on board. Her crew is 
almost afraid to move. 

" Why, I'm afraid to even snore in my sleep," said 
one of them, " for fear I'll discharge the gun-cotton; and 
as for kicking in my sleep — why, 
I'm as quiet as a drugged snake." 

" We slide along," said an- 
other; "we're afraid to walk at 
first. I went on tiptoe for the 
first three days." 

" Well, I went on my hands 
and knees the day it was so 
rough," said a third. " A fellow 
has to learn to walk on any part 
of his anatomy in this ship when 
the sea is rough." 

The Vesuvius has been de- 
scribed as a ship which fights and 
then runs away. That is, she 
fires three shells and then takes 
herself out of the range of an 
enemy's fire. 

I think this is a good place to 
tell you about a few more of the odd ships that belong to 
Uncle Sam's navy, for no nation beside ours has anything 
like them. 




106 Young PeopWs History 

The Katalidin is an armored ram which relies upon her 
sharp prow to disable an adversary. Her armament is 
only four six-pounder rapid-fire guns. 

Then there is a fieet of vessels wdiose duty it is to re- 
pair the damages that ships receive in battle, supply fuel 
and water to fighting ships, and to care for the wounded. 
All of these are novel additions to the navy, but are 
practical auxiliaries in modern naval operations. 

The Yulcan is one of the repair ships. It is, in fact, 
a navigable machine shop, fitted with steam tools for 
executing any work in metal. It carries duplicates of 
nearly every article belonging to a modern warship; and 
when you understand that some of these contain nearly 
seventy sets of engines, you can easily see the advantage 
of having a repair ship attached to a fleet. 

Then there are the refrigerating ships, or " pantries,'^ 
as the sailors call them. Their mission is to assist in 
feeding the navy. They are most valuable additions to 
a fleet, for they supply fresh meat and vegetables to im- 
prove " Jack's " diet of " salt horse.'' 

'Next come the ships that supply fresh water to the 
crews of our warships. These are fitted up with distilling 
apparatus, which converts salt water into fresh. The 
Iris, as one of these is named, belongs to the " sweet water 
squadron." The water consumption of a vessel is enor- 
mous. A battle-ship will use seven thousand gallons 
every day, which gives you an idea of the work such 
vessels as the Iris have to perform. 



of the War with Spain. 



lor 



I^ow we come to siicli ships as the Solace and the Re- 
lief. These are hospital ships, and are provided with 
every appliance and convenience to be found in a mod- 
ern ho&pital, including X-ray outfits to aid in locating 
bullets, a microscopic department, and a carbonator for 
supplying mineral waters. The hull of the Solace is 
painted white, with a wide stripe of green along the 
sides, and, as befits her mission, carries no guns or weap- 
ons of any kind. Hospital ships fly the " Red Cross '' 
flag from their mastheads. 

Our ships could guard Santiago and fire at the forts, 
but our naval oflicers had good reasons for thinking that 
they could not take the city unless our soldiers were on 
shore to help in different ways. Our ships could not go 
safely into the harbor till the " mines " under the water 
had been removed; the "mines" could not be removed 
till the forts on the cliffs had been taken. So now the 
time had come for our soldiers to go to Cuba. 




108 Young People's History 



CHAPTEK YIL 

OUE AEMY GOES TO CUBA. 

OUR soldiers — thousands of " Regulars " and thou- 
sands and thousands of " Volunteers " — were 
waiting in camps in the eastern and southern parts 
of the United States, in order to be ready to start for 
Cuba at short notice. Thousands of them were never 
ordered to go, but stayed in camp during all the war. 
Still, they were ready to go if needed. 

About the middle of June more than 16,000 soldiers, 
under General Shafter, sailed from Tampa, on the west 
coast of Florida, for the southeastern shore of Cuba. 
It was hard work to ship so many men, and 2,000 horses 
and mules, and food, and all the things needed for w^ar. 
It took one week to load the ships. How many ships 
were needed for this big " excursion party " ? Thirty- 
four. Do you think our soldiers had a pleasant voyage? 
They had not. They were crowded together, the weather 
w^as very hot, some of the vessels were old and slow, and 
it was six days before our Army drew near our ISTavy 
at Santiago, and waited till plans were made for further 
movements. 

Perhaps you are wondering where the Cubans were 



of the War with Spain, 



109 



all tills time, and what they were doing. As our country 
was trying to help them, did not the Cubans now come 
forward to join our forces? Yes. Several times brave 
Americans had made their way in secret to distant parts 
of Cuba, had met the Cuban 
generals, had talked with 
them, and brought back mes- 
sages. And now Admiral 
Sampson came out in a small 
boat to meet our soldiers, and 
he took General Shafter on 
shore, a few miles west of San- 
tiago, to hold an important 
council with a number of Cu- 
ban generals. The Cuban 
generals, chief of whom were 
General Garcia and General 
jRabi, told our officers a good 
deal about the country, the 
roads, etc., and planned to 
unite the Cuban troops with 
ours. 

When General Shafter re- 
turned, he ordered the sol- 
diers to sail on fifteen miles beyond Santiago, to a point 
called Daiquiri. This was their landing-place. It was 
harder to land in Cuba than it had been to leave Florida. 
Admiral Sampson sent some of his ships to fire upon the 




110 , Young People^ s History 

gliore and drive awaj tlie Spaniards, and lie also sent 
small boats to take our soldiers from the ships to the 
land. There were not boats enough, so the landing was 
slow work. There was great trouble in getting the horses 
and mules to swim ashore. But it takes less time to un- 
pack than to pack, and after four dajs our Army was on 
shore. 

Our men were in a rough part of the country. Steep 
hills were everywhere, the valleys were narrow, the 
roads were more like ditches. Thick underbrush, prickly 
bushes and tall gTasses grew in many places. A num<J5er 
of men were set to work making roads, so that the | 
wagons with the army supplies could push on. It was 
the wet season, and rain fell every day. Sometimes the 
streams would rise quickly and flood the new roads. 
When the rain was not falling the air was hot, and a 1 
steam seemed to rise from the ground. It seemed as if 
our men had no chance at all. 

Spanish soldiers had been sent out from Santiago, and 
were now busy building log forts on hills a few miles 
from our camps, and piling up stones and branches of 
trees to make mounds, and putting up fences of barbed 
wire. In such places of shelter the Spaniards waited for 
our troops to march forward. 

You must understand that the city that our troops 
wanted to reach was Santiago, but between them and it 
lay this rough country, where marching would be so hard, 
and where the Spaniards had forts on some of the hill- 
tops. 




Landing Troops at Daiquiri. 



Ill 



^ 



112 Young People's History 



CHAPTEK YIII. 

THE BATTLE OF LAS GUASIMAS. 

A NUMBER of our officers thought it would be 
best not to go forward till some roads had 
been made, so that the army wagons could 
be sent on; but General Shafter thought it would' 
be best to march on at once. He feared that after 
a week or ten days in that climate many of our 
men might have fever and be unfit for service. So, 
even before all the men had landed, General Shafter 
ordered the first ones to go forward and drive the Span- 
iards from a place near Siboney. Thus, some of our 
troops began their march just after landing from the 
boats. About two hundred Cuban soldiers went with 
them, to lead the way and watch for the hiding-places 
of the Spaniards. 

The troops reached the place in the evening, but found 
that the Spaniards had left it and gone about three miles 
further westward to a stronger fort. Our men rested all 
night, and before daylight the next morning — Friday, 
June 24th — they marched on to hunt the enemy. 

IN'ow I must tell vou somethins^ about these soldiers 
who were going to fight their first battle in Cuba. There 



of the War with Spain, 113 

were nearly a thousand men; some were " Regulars," 
others were " Volunteers." They belonged to the Cav- 
alry division of the Army — the soldiers who go on 
horses. But for this first work in Cuba they had to go 
on foot, without their horses. 

The " Volunteers " numbered about five hundred. 
They belonged to a regiment called the " Rough Riders," 
and a strange regiment it was. Most of these men were 
from the prairies and cattle-ranches in the West; some 
were " cowboys," some were Indians. The others in the 
regiment were young men from the East — business 
men, college men, sons of rich men; all were brave, 
hardy fellows, fond of out-door life, fond of excitement, 
not afraid of work. These young men had been trained 
for the war by a man who was now one of their officers, 
Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt. He had given up a high 
position in order to serve his country in this way. Peo- 
ple in the United States laughed when this company of 
" Rough Riders " was formed, and said that the " cow- 
boys " and Indians would not obey orders, and that the 
others would not stand the hardships of war. But the 
people in the United States did not laugh after the battle 
of Las Guasimas. 

That June morning it was thought best to separate 
and march by two roads, meeting near the Spanish fort. 
The way of the " Rough Riders " led them up steep hills. 
Thick bushes grew all around, so that the men could 
hardly see how to go; the sun rose, and the heat was so 



114 Young People^s History 

awful that some of the men dropped down, faint and 
sick. Suddenly, from among the trees and bushes came 
bullets, and the men began to fall, wounded and dead. 
The Spaniards could not be seen at all, and they Avere 
using smokeless powder that left no trace in the air. 
But our men heard the whizz of the bullets, and felt 
their sting. The " Rough Riders," as they pressed on 
quickly toward the fort, fired again and again into the 
bushes. At last they met their comrades, w^ho had come 
by the other road and who had also had a hard fight, 
and all now toiled up the hill, firing as they went. The 
Spaniards had to retreat, and could now be seen by our 
men. The top of the hill was reached at last, the fort 
was taken, and the Spaniards fled toward Santiago. 

This hard fight, which lasted less than two hours, is 
called the Battle of Las Guasimas, from the name of the 
poisonous kind of trees in the thicket where the " Rough 
Riders " were shot down. 

It would require volumes to tell the bravery and hero- 
ism of the men who fought the Spaniards at Las Guasi- 
mas. Every one entered into it with enthusiasm. All 
stood their ground while the Spanish bullets were sing- 
ing around them, and then, when they were allowed to 
do so, poured volley after volley into the brush in the 
direction from which the shots came. Colonel Wood 
walked along his lines as coolly as though on parade. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt led his men through the 
brush when the air seemed full of bullets. Captain 



—^ 





Last Stand of the Spaniards at Las Guasimas. 



r 
115 



116 



Young People^s History 



Capron, the fifth from father to son in the United States 
army, fell early in the fight, but before he was hit by a 
Spanish bullet he used his revolver whenever he saw a 
^Spanish head. 

Everybody had confidence in their officers aiid in them- 
selves. If they were hit they fought on if the hurt was 
not mortal. If they could not stand, they propped them- 
selves against trees, and kept on firing as the line went 

forward, 
with their 




slings 



Men fought 
arms in 
and with band- 
aged heads. 

Lieutenant Thomas, 
of Captain Capron's 
troop, and who was 
wounded himself dur- 
that sweltering 
tells some 
stories of 
He comes 



mg 



June day, 
interesting 
the .battle. 



of a fighting family. 
His father fought in 
the Civil War, his 
grandfather was killed 

in the Mexican War, and three ancestors fell in the war 

of the Revolution. 

^' I am sorry that I did not have a chance to see more 

of the fighting, but what I saw was of the warmest kind. 



of the War with Spain, 117 

On the 24tli of June I was with Troop L, under Captain 
Capron. AYe formed the advance guard, and went out 
on a narrow trail toward Siboney. On the way we met 
some of the men of the Twenty-second Infantry, who told 
us we were close to the enemy, as they had heard them 
at work during the night. Captain Capron, with six 
men, had gone on ahead of us and had come across the 
body of a dead Cuban. Ten or fifteen minutes later 
Private Isbell saw a Spaniard in the brush ahead of him 
and fired. This was the first shot from our troop, and the 
Spaniard fell dead. Isbell himself was shot seven times 
that day, but managed to walk back to our field hospital, 
which was fully four miles in the rear. 

" It has been said that we were ambushed, but this is 
not so. Poor Captain Capron received his death wound 
early in the fight, and while he was Ij'ing on the ground 
dying, he said: ^ Let me see it out; I want to see it all.' 
He lived an hour and fifteen minutes after the bullet 
struck him, and up to the moment he fell had acted fear- 
lessly, and had exposed himself all the time to the 
enemy's fire. 

'' I was then next in command of the troop, and I no- 
ticed that some of our men lay too closely together as 
they were deploying. T went down the line ordering 
them to their proper distances, and as I passed along, 
poor Hamilton Fish was lying, mortally wounded, a few 
feet from me. AVhen he heard my voice. Fish raised 
himself on his elbow and said: ^I am wounded; I am 

8 — TVdr with Spain 



118 Young People^ s History 

wounded/ That was the last I saw of him in life. He 
was very brave and was very popular among the men of 
the troops. 

" Sergeant Joe Kline, of Troop L, was wounded early 
that day, and was ordered to the rear with several other 
wounded men. On his way to the rear, Kline discov- 
ered a Spanish sharpshooter in a tree and shot at him. 
The Spaniard fell dead, and Kline picked up a silver- 
mounted revolver, which fell from the man's clothes, as 
a souvenir, which he highly prizes. Several of the Span- 
ish sharpshooters had picked up cast-off clothing of the 
American soldiers, and wore them while they were at 
their deadly work. 

" Sergeant Bell, of our troop, was badly injured from 
an exploding shell while on the firing line. He was or- 
dered to the rear, but quickly came back again. He was 
ordered away a second time, but a few minutes later he 
was at the front again, firing away. For a third time he 
was sent back, and once more he insisted on going to the 
front, and when the other men saw him they greeted 
him with rousing cheers, and he fought till the end of 
the day, although painfully wounded in the back. 

'^ While lying in the hospital, I heard a young man 
named Hall, who belonged to the Twenty-second Infan- 
try, tell a story which will illustrate better than anything 
else the accuracy of the American shooters. He and five 
other men had crossed a bend in a road to get some water 
in their canteens. As they got into the open they were 




Theodore Roosevelt. 



120 Young People^s History 

attacked by tliirty-two Spanish cavalrymen, who cut 
them up badly with their sabres. Hall was the only one 
who was not killed. He was badly trampled by the 
horses, and had some sabre wounds on his body. Later 
on. Hall was picked up by some comrades to whom he 
told his story. These men located the Spaniards who had 
done the work and opened fire on them. When they 
had ceased firing there were thirty live horses, two dead 
ones, and thirty-two dead Spaniards. This was pretty 
good shooting, wasn't it?" 

Many heroic deeds were done in the Battle of Las 
Guasimas, by the " Eegulars " as well as by the " Rough 
Eiders." Suftering was bravely borne. Sixteen of our 
men were killed, and more than fifty wounded. Yet all 
our troops took heart from the victory of that day, and 
began to think it would be easy to go on driving the 
Spaniards back to Santiago, and then to take that city. 
But it did not prove to be easy. 

There is a little railroad which runs from some mines 
near Santiago to the pier at Daiquiri. Before the land- 
ing was made, the Spaniards were driven from the coast 
by the shells of the iVmerican fleet. Before they hurried 
away they attempted to disable a locomotive which had 
steam up. They took off the connecting rods, throttle 
gear and other important parts of the machinery and hid 
them behind fences and other places where they thought 
they would not be found. Then they blocked the piston 
guides and ran off. But there were plenty of engineers 



of the ^Yar with Spain, 



121 



and mechanics among the American soldiers, and when 
they saw the condition the locomotive was in they started 
to search for the missing parts. Most of these were 
foimd and the machinery was cleverly patched np. Then 
they knocked the blocks of wood out of the slides and 
threw fresh coal into the firebox, and in a very short time 
the locomotive was pulling a train of ore cars loaded with 
soldiers. 




122 Young PeopWs History 



CHAPTEE IX. 

EL CANEY AND SAN JUAN. 

FOE a few days after tlie battle of Las Guasimas no 
great event took place. There was no fighting. 
The other troops were making their way np from 
the coast, but the roads were so narrow and so bad that 
progress was slow. The army wagons had great trouble 
to get on, and many supplies were left at the coast or on 
the boats, because there was no proper way of taking them 
forward. The heavy cannon were hauled a few miles 
from the coast and then most of them were left, though 
they w^ould have been a great help to our Army, and 
should have been taken to the front. It was soon found 
that many of the doctors' supplies — the things needed 
in taking care of the sick and wounded — had not been 
taken off the ships that brought the men from Florida. 
It was thought by some of our men that now more effort 
should be made to clear roads through the woods and 
thick bushes, but not much was done. A great deal of 
fault has been found with the way things were managed 
at this time. It seems as if some of the officers were very 
much to blame. There need not have been so many 
men killed in the battles that followed, or so much suf- 
fering and sickness in our Army, if all our officers had 



of the ^Yar iviiJi Spain. 



123 



done tlieir duty. Meanwliile,tlie Spaniards went on im- 
proving their forts on the hills a few miles away. 

N^earlj two thousand more of our soldiers landed in 
Cuba about this time, and more were expected soon. 

But I must tell you about another Army that arrived 
in this part of Cuba during these days — a very small one 
beside General Shaf- 
ter's Army, but one 
that did mighty work. 
Have you ever heard 
of the Red Cross So- 
ciety? This is a so- 
ciety that nurses the 
sick and wounded. It 
has members in all 
parts of the world. Its 
chief officer is Miss 
Clara Barton, whose 
work has been so great 
and noble that it has 
made the whole world 
better. The badge, or 
flag of the Red Cross Army is a red cross on a white 
ground. 

The Red Cross Army takes no part in war except 
to help those who need help. It does not know the dif- 
ference between friend and foe. Its work is a work of 
love and mercy. Iso soldiers with any honor would ever 




124: Young People^s History 

ifire upon a tent that Las the Eed Cross flag floating over 
it, or harm any person wearing the Ked Cross badge. 
Yet, to the awfnl disgrace of the Spaniards, it is known 
that some of them, hidden in trees and bushes, fired 
upon doctors and nurses who were taking care of the 
wounded on the battlefields near Santiago. 

This was the new Army, whose soldiers wear the sign 
of the Eed Cross, that reached this part of Cuba now, 
and put up a large tent. In this tent all help that could 
be given was given, to Spaniards, Cubans and Ameri- 
cans. There were also " floating hospitals " — ships fitted 
up as hospitals. They proved to be great blessings to 
our Army and ISTavy. 

You will remember that the Eed Cross Society took 
great quantities of supplies to the suffering Cubans in 
the early part of 1898. Its work in Cuba was just well- 
established when hostilities broke out between the United 
States and Spain, and while the members who were on 
the ground wanted to stay and carry on the work of re- 
lief, General Blanco told them it was best for them to 
leave the island. They did so reluctantly, after doing all 
they could to insure the proper distribution of the sup- 
plies they left behind them. The result was that the 
food and medicines intended for the Cubans were used 
to sustain the Spanish army. 

When the blockade of Cuban ports was instituted, 
the Eed Cross Society was asked by the Government 
to take charge of the steamship State of Texas which 



of the War with Spain. 125 

had been loaded \vitli provisions, clothing, medical and 
hospital supplies by the generous people of the United 
States. Miss Clara Barton instantly responded, but the 
ship was not allowed to go to Cuba under a flag of tnice, 
because Acting Rear-Admiral Sampson would not allow 
it. He said he was afraid the supplies would fall into 
the hands of the Spanish army. But the Red Cross 
Society would not give up its errand of mercy, and when 
the United States army invaded Cuba, the State of Texas 
followed the transports and so got to Cuba after all, and 
anchored at a little place called Siboney, where the nurses 
immediately began to care for the wounded on the hos- 
pital ship Solace. 

There had been so much mismanagement about the 
landing of the troops and the supplies, that General 
Shafter's army was without medicines or shelter for his 
wounded men. When he learned that the Red Cross 
ship had arrived, he sent word to Miss Barton to seize any 
empty army wagons and send him a load of hospital sup- 
plies and medical stores. She did this, although there 
were no boats obtainable to convey the supplies to the 
shore. There were only two old scows which had been 
thrown away as useless, but the Red Cross men patched 
them up as best they could, and then loaded them with 
the material asked for. They worked all night, and 
just as the sun rose in the morning, they managed to 
get them to the shore. It was the hardest kind of work 
unloading the scows in the surf, but they did it, and 



126 Young People^ s History 

loaded some wagons with tlie precious supplies. Then tlie 
women nurses, who had been drenched to the shin in 
the surf, mounted on top of the load and started on a 
terrible ride over a roadless country. They reached 
the army, and the whole world knows the splendid work 
they did there. It was no fault of the surgeon-general 
cf the United States that they were able to accomplish 
it, though, for he was opposed to female nurses and his 
action sadly hampered the work. 

But now I must tell you about the next hard work that 
our soldiers had to do. On the last day of June, G-eneral 
Shafter gave orders that the whole Army was to move on 
toward Santiago the next day. General Shafter was sick, 
and stayed at headquarters in his tent, two miles away. 
Before Santiago could be reached, El Caney and San 
Juan had to be taken. So, on the first of July, early in 
the morning, six thousand of our troops, under brave 
officers, marched to attack El Caney. General Shafter 
thought this place could be taken in about an hour. 

The town of El Caney, four miles northeast of San- 
tiago, lies in a broad valley. Beyond it, on the Santiago 
side, is a high, level piece of country. The houses in the 
town are built of stone, and have thick walls. The town 
was protected by a stone fort on a hill, and also by log 
forts, trenches, and covered places, where the Spaniards 
could stay under shelter while they fired. The stone fort 
on the hill was first attacked by our men, and if they 
had had more heavy cannon the work might have been 



128 



Young People's History 



easy. As it was, more than half the day passed, and, in 
spite of the hard work of our men, the fort still stood. 
Our men had no smokeless powder, and their firing made 
a big black cloud around them all the time, so that they 
could not see clearly. At last the stone walls of the 

fort began to weaken, 
and then our men were 
ordered to " storm.'' 
They ran along the 
valley, broke through 
fences of barbed wire, 
and went up the hill 
with such a rush that 
the Spaniards could 
not meet them, but fled 
down into the town. 
The other forts kept 
up firing for a while, 
but our men, now hav- 
ing the fort on the hill, 
forced the Spaniards 
farther and farther, and, by four o'clock, our men 
held the town. The whole place was strewn with dead 
Spaniards, and our ow^n loss was heavy. Both sides had 
fought bravely, and the struggle had lasted nearly nine 
hours. 

At El Caney the Spaniards made the strongest resist- 
ance that the American armv met in Cuba. One of the 




130 Young People's History 

foremost figures in tliis battle was Brigadier-General 
Henry Yf. Lawton. I must tell you something about 
liim. Lawton was but seventeen years old when the 
Civil AVar in this country broke out. He enlisted at once 
and was made a sergeant in an Indiana regiment. When 
his term of service expired he re-enlisted and fought gal- 
lantly throughout the remainder of the war. After the 
war was over Lawton enlisted in the regular army and 
was sent to the frontier, where he developed into one of 
the best Indian fighters in the army. AVhen our coun- 
try went to war Avith Spain, Lawton was holding an im- 
portant position in the War Department at Washington. 
His splendid services were remembered and he was pro- 
moted to be a brigadier-general of volunteers and sent to 
Cuba. After the war with Spain was over, Lawton was 
again promoted, and in 1899 was sent to the Philippines 
to assist in putting down the Liliplno insurrection. 

Meanwhile, our other regiments had been ordered to 
attack San Juan, a village on steep heights, less than a 
mile east of Santiago. Our men went to the place by 
tw^o different roads, and had to go through woods, wade 
through streams, and wind along narrow paths. A num- 
ber of men from each regiment went before, with tools, 
and cut the fences of barbed wire. Lences of barbed 
wire had been put, like a network, all around Santiago, 
to keep our men away. 

San Juan was protected by trenches and forts, and 
from these places Spanish bullets rained down upon our 



132 Young People^ s History 

men. During the early hours of the morning there was 
much confusion among our troops. They were looking 
for further orders from headquarters, but none came. 
So, at last, the captains and colonels took things into 
their owm hands and did what seemed best. Again there 
was need of more heavy cannon, and again our men were 
troubled by having powder that made a thick black 
smoke. Just as it was at El Caney, so it was at San 
Juan; not having cannon enough to destroy the forts, 
our men had to take the place by storm. Colonel Koose- 
velt led his " Rough Eiders " in one of the finest charges 
ever made. The other troops, nearly all " Regulars," 
did noble w^ork. "With bullets pouring down upon them, 
our men made a wild rush up the heights, and the Span- 
iards fled. The struggle to take San Juan had lasted 
more than five hours, and cost many lives. 

Though our men were worn and weary, they took no 
rest that night. They buried the dead, they repaired 
the forts and trenches. Our men knew that the Span- 
iards would try to win back the heights of San Juan, the 
last stronghold on the outskirts of Santiago. 

At daybreak the next morning the Spaniards attacked 
our troops, and the fighting went on all day. A sharp 
attack was made in the evening, but our men still held 
the place. Yet they did not feel secure. The Spanish 
Army in Santiago was a large one, and might force our 
men back. Our men, though weary from marching and 
fighting and digging, hungry, for food was scarce, 



of the War with Spain. 



133 



wanted to hold the heights that had been so dearly won. 

The attack upon the Spanish defenses of Santiago be- 
gan early in the morning of July 1st, as I have told you, 
and I wish I could tell you the one hundredth part of the 
brave and gallant deeds that were done by our brave 
soldiers on that and the next day. 

Battery A, of the Second United States Artillery, 
fired the first shot of the engagement known as the battle 
of El Caney. The Spaniards replied, after it had sent 
five shells among them. 
The Spanish forces 
w^ere much stronger 
than our men thought 
they were, and it took 
General Lawton nearly 
all day to gain posses- 
sion of El Caney. 
Early in the day, Lieu- 
tenant Parker's battery 
of four Gatling guns 
began to hurl bullets 
into the Spanish 
trenches, and so well 
did it keep up the work 
that it played a very 
important part in the battle and a great deal of the credit 
of the victory is due to Lieutenant Parker. Afterwards, 
Lieutenant Parker, in speaking of these wonderful ma.- 
chine guns, said : 

g l^'ar iviih Sj>ain 




134 Young People^s History 

" We trained tlie guns on the top of the hill. They 
■were fired above the heads of the slowly advancing line 
of blue which had started up the slope. I ordered the 
men to work the Gatlings as fast as they could. The 
result was astounding. With each of the four guns fir- 
ing at the rate of eight hundred shots a minute, the bul- 
lets formed a canopy over the heads of the men at the 
foot of the hill. A Gatling gun in action is a sight to 
remember; so thick and fast do the bullets fly that one 
can actually sec the stream of lead leaving the gun and, 
as if handling a hose, train it on any desired point. 

" I remember one incident of the first day which 
showed how deadly was the fire of these machine guns. 
Away off, across the valley, we saw a clump of Spanish 
cavalrymen. I ordered the guns turned on them. They 
were so far away Ave had to jse glasses to find them ac- 
curately, but when the little wheels began to turn, those 
who stood in the front line of the clump fell as gras3 
falls before a mower, and it didn't take the rest of those 
Spaniards long to get behind something. 

"As the day wore on, and the troops kept climbing 
up the hill. Colonel Roosevelt, who had been watching 
the work of the Gatlings, came along and placed his 
light battery of two Colt machine guns and one dynamite 
gTin in my command.'' 

You can get an idea of the deadly work of the Gat- 
lings. when I tell you that the fire of one of these guns 
is equal to that of one hundred and eighty riflemen, 
each discharging thirteen shots per minu<-e. 



of the War with Spain. 



135 



The dynamite gun is the latest development in light 
artillery. One of them had been supplied to Eooge- 
velt's Rough Eiders, or ^^ Teddy's Terrors/' as they 
were often called, but none of them wanted to handle it. 




Sergeant Bor?o'«e Working the Dynamite Gun. 



They were willing to face Spanish bullets, but they 
were afraid of the dynamite gun. They thought it was 
just as dangerous «t one end as at the other. It is an 
odd looking pierce of artillery, having two tubes, or bar- 
rels, one abovp. the other. It throws a long cartridge or 



136 Young People^s History 

shell, similar in shape, but not so large as those used on 
the Vesuvius, about which I have told you. One day 
Sergeant Borrowe volunteered to manage the gun that 
the rest of the men were afraid of. They let him have 
it, and he did splendid work with it. 

Another famous gun in the fighting before Santiago 
was gun Xo. 2, of Captain Capron's battery. Captaiv 
Capron was the father of the young man who was killed 
in the battle of Las Guasimas. No guns did more effec- 
tive work than his, unless it was Parker's Gatlings, and 
one shot from this Xo. 2 is said to have killed sixteen 
Spaniards at one time. After the battery returned to 
the United States, Lieutenant Henly, after saying that 
the battery was in every battle on Cuban soil except that 
at Las Guasimas, continued: 

" We were peculiarly fortunate in escaping the bullets. 
The only man killed in our battery was a horse — I sup- 
pose we can count him as a man. At El Caney, we Avere 
directed to support the infantry in an attack on several 
blockhouses and a stone fort. We were twenty-four 
hundred yards away and soon got the range. The first 
shot was fired by Corporal Williams. Corporal Xefi" 
fired the shot that brought down the Spanish flag. We 
pounded a hole in the fort and the infantry went 
through it." 

A young soldier who was wounded at San Juan told 
this story: 

" My company got mixed up in the charge, and 1 



of the War with Spain. 



137 



pushed on with the Thirteenth Kegulars. When we 
reached the top of the hill, some of us took shelter in 
a blockhouse and began firing from there at the oppo- 




The Famous No. 2 Gun. 

site hills. There wasn't one of the enemy in sight unless 
you count dead ones, so we blazed away at nothing at 
all, for awhile. But they had us dead in range, and it 
was no dream the way their bullets played around us. 



138 Young People's History 

" One of the bravest things I saw in the war happened 
right here. An officer came up — he was a major of 
regulars — I don't know his regiment — and he saw that 
we didn't know what to aim at, and were getting a little 
rattled. So what did he do but quickly walk out in front 
of the blockhouse where the bullets were coming thick- 
est, and proceed to study the hills with his field-glass, 
just as unconcerned as you please. And every now and 
then he would call to us who were inside, ' Men, sight at 
eight hundred yards and sweep the grass on the ridge of 
the hill '; or, again: ' Men, I can see the Spaniards over 
there; try a thousand-yard range and see if you can't 
get some of them. Fire low!' I never saw such nerve 
as that officer had; he'd have stirred courage in every- 
body." 

" Didn't he get hit?" he was asked. 

"I'll tell you about that in a minute; but while he 
was out there shaking hands with death, you might say, 
I was witness to a little incident in the blockhouse that 
is worth telling about: A lot of us were in there from 
different regiments — some from the Thirteenth, some 
from the Sixteenth, and some colored boys from the 
Twenty-fourth. AVe were all blazing away through 
the firing-openings in the walls. 

" Just beside me was a big negro, who didn't seem 
more than half interested in what he was doins:. I saw 
him pull a dead Spaniard out of the door with a listless 
movement, and then pick up his rifle as if he thought 







.^f-t^S •' 






Bringing Up Captain Capron's Battery. 



139 



140 Young People's History 

the whole thing a bore. Suddenly, a bullet came in with 
a zip along the underside of his gun barrel, glanced 
against the strap, and took the skin off the negro's 
knuckles as if they'd been scraped with a knife. And 
then you should see the change ! He wasn't scared — not 
a bit ; but he was mad enough to have charged the whole 
Spanish army alone. How he did talk — not loud, just 
quietly to himself — and how he did grab iiis cartridges 
and begin to shoot. 

" Speaking of cartridges, some of the boys ran short 
because they had thrown away a lot in their haversacks; 
but I had put two beltfuls in a pair of socks and pinned 
them inside my shirt with safety pins, so I had plenty, 
and I Avas peppering away from behind a brick chimney, 
when one of the Thirteenth lads called out to me: 
^ Come over here. Seventy-one; I've got a fine shot for 
you.' 

" I looked around and saw him standing by a window 
that was barred with iron, but had no sash to it. He was 
kneeling on the floor, just showing his head over the sill, 
and looking at the Spanish line. He was a nice looking 
lad, not a day over twenty-one, and his face was as 
smooth as a girl's. ' All right/ said I, going over to him, 
* Where's your shot V 

"'There,' said he, pointing to one of the hills: 'no- 
body's fired at that one yet, but I'm sure the dagos are 
there. Set your sights at six himdred yards and we'll 
try it together!' 



of the \Yar with Spain. 1^1 

" So I fixed my sights, and we both fired out of the 
window with our rifies resting on the ledge. As I drew 
back I saw there was something queer with the boy, and 
noticed a splash of red on the lobe of his ear, just like 
a coral bead. 

" ' Did they wing you V I asked. And even as I spoke, 
he staggered against the wall and turned round so that 
I saw him full in the face. There was a hole in the 
other side, just at the cheek bone, that I could have put 
my finger in. He had been shot clear through the head. 

" ' Poor chap,' I said, and lifted him over behind the 
chimney, where I had been. He didn't speak. I left 
him there and went to the door, thinking that I might 
see a Red Cross nurse somewhere about, and sure 
enough, there was one bending over a man stretched on 
the ground. It was the major who had been giving us 
the ranges. 

" ' Is he hurt bad V I asked. 

" The Red Cross man had the major's shirt open, look- 
ing at his wound. ^ He's shot through the heart,' he said. 

" ^ Can you come in here a minute, when you get 
through with him? There's a Thirteenth boy just been 
hit.' 

"'Hit where?' 

" ' In the head.' 

" ' Hold him by the jowls,' he said, ' until I come.' 
So I held him by the jowls, and then he spoke for the 
first time, and what he said was this : ' Say, Seventy-one, 
I done my duty, didn't I?' 



142 Young PeopIe^s History 

" I told him that he did. 

" ^ I had my face toward 'em when thej got me, didn't 

ir 

" ' Sure, you did.' 

" ^ Well,' he went on, quite cheerful like, ' I may get 
tlirough this, and if I do, I'll have another crack at 'em. 
But if I don't, why I aint got no kick comin', for there'll 
be others to stay here with me.' 

" That was the last I saw of him, for the Red Cross 
man came in then, and I w^ent back to the firing. He 
was a game boy, though, wasn't he?" 

What would have become of the w^ounded if the Eed 
Cross nurses had not been on the field to help them, no- 
body knows, except that thousands of " mothers' boys " 
were saved, wdio in a few hours more w^ould have been 
beyond mortal aid. l^o wonder bearded men wept like 
babies and blessed the angels of mercy as they passed. 
The boys went into the fight hungry, lay for two days in 
trenches, almost wdthout food; and when they were 
wounded, were ordered to make their w^ay to the rear 
as best they could. Men with desperate w^ounds had to 
W'alk or crawd perhaps a mile; perhaps five or six miles, 
over the wild, rough country, those who were least in- 
jured, assisting their comrades, and hundreds dying by 
the wayside. Had the Red Cross been allowed its way 
in the beginning, many of these horrors w^ould have been 
avoided. The few army surgeons did all in their power, 
but nearly everything they needed to allay suffering was 




The "Eed Cross" in the Field. 



143 



144 



Young People^s History 



lacking, and so insufficient was tlie force tliat many of 
the wounded lay for days before their turn came. Men 
taken from the operating table, perhaps having just had 
a leg or arm cut off, or with bodies torn by bullets, were 
laid naked on the rain-soaked ground, without shelter, 
and in the majority of cases without even blankets. And 
there they lay through two long days and nights. All 
honor to the Eed Cross Society which finally forced its 
way to the spot and knew exactly what to do. 

Some time after the 
return of the "Rough 
Riders " to the United 
States, Colonel Roose- 
velt told some interest- 
ing experiences: 

" I recollect, as I 
was sitting, I gave a 
command to one of my 
orderlies, and he rose 
up and saluted and fell 
ri2,ht forward across 
my knees dead. The 
man upon whom I had 
most to rely — I relied 
upon all of those gal- 
lant men, but the man upon whom I most relied, Buckey 
O'Xeill — was standing up, walking up and down in front 
of his men, wanting to show them by his example that 
they must not get nervous, and to reassure them. 




of the War with Spain, 145 

"Somebody said, ^Captain — Captain O'^N'eill! You 
will be struck by a bullet as sure as fate; lie down! lie 
down!' and lie laughed, and said, ' AVhy, the Spanish bul- 
let is not made that will kill me!' And the next minute 
a bullet struck him in the mouth and came out the back 
of his head and he was killed right there. 

" Captain Jenkins crept up beside one of his sharp- 
shooters and said to him, ' I see a Spaniard over in that 
tree, give me your rifle for a moment.' He fired two or 
three shots and then turned around and handed the rifle 
back to the man, and the man was dead — had been killed 
without making a sign or sound as he stood beside him. 

" I was talking to a gallant young officer, asking 
him questions, and he was answering. I turned around 
and he had been shot through the stomach." 

But General Shafter, still at headquarters some miles 
away, did not know how the men felt, and thought they 
ought to retreat to some safer point, and wait for more 
troops from the United States. Early the next morning 
— Sunday, July 3d — General Shafter sent a telegram 
to the War Office at Washington, saying that he thought 
of withdrawing his forces from the neighborhood of San- 
tiago. An answer was sent to him, asking him to try to 
hold his present place, and more troops started for Cuba. 

Fortunately, there were brave commanders in the 
American army who did not think as General Shafter 
did. They had been doing the fighting, while he hadn't, 
and they had no idea of giving up an inch of the ground 



146 



Young People's History 



tliey had gained. One of the most prominent of them 
was General Joseph Wheeler. He had a splendid record 
in the Civil War, fighting on the side of the Confeder- 
acy. He was a bold and tireless fighter, and before he 
was thirty years old he was the commander of all the 
Confederate cavalry. His sabre had flashed in the thick- 
est of many fights and he had led his splendid horsemen 
in many a furious charge. 

When the war with Spain broke out, General Wheel- 
er offered his services 
to the Government and 
was sent to Cuba, and 
when there began to 
be talk of retread: after 
those terrible days of 
fighting before San- 
tiago, the splendid old 
Confederate counselled 
holding the army 
Avhere it was, and 
fighting the Spaniards 
again, if necessary. 
He said, " American 
prestige would suffer 
irretrievably if we gave 
up an inch; we must stand firm!" 

The message from General Shafter flew through the 
United States, and caused great anxiety. It was sad to 




of the War with Spain, 



think that our troops had drawn near the place they 
had been striving to reach, had had great labor, had 
borne much suffering, and that now, after all, they might 
have to retreat because there were not enough of them to 
finish the w^ork — not enough to take Santiago. 

But that very Sunday something took place that 
changed the wdiole color of the scene. 




148 Young People^ s History 



CHAPTER X. 

THE SPANISH FLEET LEAVES THE HARBOR. 

WHILE our Army had been toiling along narrow 
roads and through dense forests, wading the 
streams and storming the forts, on the way to 
Santiago, our Navy had been keeping up its blockade of 
the harbor. Perhaps I should explain to you that the 
Merrimac, sunk by Lieutenant Hobson, did not really 
close the channel, because the Merrimac had not gone 
down in the right spot on account of the breaking of the 
rudder. So our vessels still kept a close blockade. 

The Spaniards now felt worried. Our Navy was at 
one side of Santiago, and our Army at the other. The 
Spaniards in the city thought our Army w-as larger than 
it was, and the word passed round that fifty thousand 
American soldiers were on the hills. Food was scarce in 
Santiago; there would soon be danger of starvation. In 
this state of affairs. Admiral Cervera, taking a wild 
chance for life and liberty, with the hope of being able 
afterward to help his countrymen, led his fleet out of 
the harbor. 

Sunday morning, July 3d, was clear and beautiful. 
The cliffs of the harbor, and the old forts, made a fine 
show under the blue sky. The red and yellow flag of 



of the War with Spain, 149 

Spain floatedj as usual, on top of Morro Castle. Far in 
the distance the mountain tops showed plainly — a dark 
line against the sky. The sea was smooth. 

Our vessels were in place near the mouth of the har- 
bor, though a few were missing. The Massachusetts 
and some smaller vessels had gone to Guantanamo for 
coal ; the flagship New York had gone eastward to a place 
where Admiral Sampson could go ashore, for he wished 
to arrange plans with General Shafter. Commodore 
Schley had been left in charge of the fleet, and his flag- 
ship was the Brooklyn. It was at the western end of 
our half-circle of ships. 

On Saturday evening, the night before, some of the 
men on board the Iowa saw a good deal of smoke rising 
within the harbor, and thought the Spanish ships might 
be getting ready to rush out. These men spoke to their 
captain about the smoke, but the captain thought that 
the Spaniards were only fixing their fires. The smoke 
seemed to him no thicker than it had often been before. 
The men on the deck could not help thinking about the 
smoke, and tried to ease their minds by making ready 
the signal, so that it could be run up instantly if the 
Spanish ships started out. But the night passed away, 
the signal was not needed, and the men concluded that 
the smoke really had meant nothing. They never 
dreamed that the Spaniards would come out in daytime. 
So it seemed likely that the day would pass quietly. 

As it was Sunday, not much work was going on. By 

lO—ll^a.*- with Spain 



150 Young People's History 

nine o'clock all the men were dressed in tlieir white 
clothes, ready for the Sunday morning "inspection/' 
Some of the officers were gloomy, for they had had news 
about the terrible losses in the Army during the last two 
days. 

Suddenly, about half past nine, shouts are heard on 
some of the ships, and the signal flies up on the Iowa: 
" Enemy's ships are coming out," and a gun is fired from 
the Iowa, to attract the notice of all the fleet. Our 
ships, so still a moment before, are now full of life. 
Every man shouts to his neighbor, " They're coming 
out! they're coming out!" Men run in all directions to 
get to their posts; officers buckle on their swords; orders 
are quickly given. " Sound the general alarm!" " Clear 
ship for action!" "Bugles call to general quarters!" 
" Steam and pressure on the turrets!" " Hoist the battle- 
flags!" "Close the hatches!" " Eull steam ahead!" 
"Turn on the current of the electric hoists!" "Get to 
your guns, lads!" 

Our men are hurrahing and yelling witb glad excite- 
ment. They throw off their white clothes, and tumble 
down the ladders, and throw themselves througli the 
hatchways in their haste to obey orders. In less than 
three minutes every vessel is speeding along, and has 
obeyed the signal: " Open fire!" 

There are the beautiful Spanish ships running at full 
speed, in a line, one behind the other, all their flags fly- 
ing as if on a holiday parade. They are coming out of 



of the War with Spain. 151 

the channel and turning westward, firing fiercely on the 
Brooklyn, the nearest of our ships, while the forts on 
the cliffs fire on the rest of our fleet. Eirst of the Span- 
ish ships comes the Maria Teresa, carrying the flag of 
Admiral Cervera. The last two in the line are the tor- 
pedo-boat destroyers. 

Our ships send forth a storm of fire; every instant the 
roar of our guns is heard, and the air is so filled with 
smoke that our men can hardly see their enemy. 

Indeed, it is a wonder that our ships, all rushing 
toward the Spanish ships, do not crash into one another. 
And how can they help injuring one another with their 
guns? Ah, there is good management! Not one of the 
captains loses his wits — not one of the gunners mistakes 
a friend for a foe. 

Now the Maria Teresa is on fire in different places, 
and turns in toward the shore. Great columns of flame 
shoot up as the big ship runs upon the beach and hauls 
down her flag as a sign of surrender. Now another 
Spanish ship is on fire from our guns, and runs ashore, 
hauling down her flag. She is as helpless as the Teresa. 
Not half an hour has passed since those two ships came 
out of the harbor, yet now, after running six or seven 
miles, they are ashore and in flames; most of cheir men 
are killed or wounded, the others are clinging to parts of 
the ships or jumping into the sea, though sharks are 
plainly seen in the water. 

Meanwhile, the Gloucester, one of our smallest vessels, 



152 Young People's History 

is attacking the two torpedo-boat destroyers, and, with a 
little help from some of our battleships, soon puts an end 
to the two little Spanish boats. One of them sinks, the 
other is compelled to run ashore; both ruined in less than 
eiaht minutes after the Gloucester fired the first shot 
at them. 

The chase goes on, the guns keep up their deadly fire. 
Xow another Spanish ship, the Yizcaya, turns to the 
shore, flames shooting from her decks. As she touches 
the beach, two loud explosions shake her from end to 
end. She has held her course for an hour and twenty 
minutes, but now she is burning on the shore. 

Only one Spanish ship is left, the Cristobol Colon, 
flying at full speed, six miles ahead of our first ship, the 
Brooklyn. The Oregon and the Texas follow the Brook- 
lyn, and the Kew York is only a short distance be- 
hind. For, of course, the Xew York, though several 
miles away when the race began, heard the signal gun, 
and turned, and flew baek to Santiago on the wings of 
the wind. Faster and faster flies the !N^ew York, gaining 
rapidly in the race. 

Surely, it is an exciting race, for the Colon is flying 
for life. Commodore Schley takes the Brooklyn farther 
out to sea, to head off the Colon, when she turns her 
course; but our other ships follow the Spaniard. There 
is little firing now from either side — the ships are racing. 

Two hours pass in this way, and now the Brooklyn 
and the Oregon fire heavily at the Cristobal Colon, 



I 




154 Young People^ s History 

again and again. The helpless Colon hauls down her 
flag, and turns toward the shore. The last Spanish ship 
gives up the struggle at fifteen minutes after one o'clock, 
fifty miles west of Santiago. 

While Commodore Schley is sending Captain Cook 
in a small boat to receive the surrender of the Colon, 
the crews of the Brooklyn and Oregon crowd upon the 
decks and turrets to cheer each other and shout for joy. 
Some of the men of the Oregon rush at once for their 
drums and bugles, and the notes of ^' The Star Spangled 
Banner " rise in place of the roar of the guns. The 
Xew York and the Texas arrive, and the four ships rest 
in triimiph. 

While waiting and resting, a scene took place on the 
Texas that will long be remembered. The captain sud- 
denlv ordered, " All hands aft!" The crew of five hun- 
dred men went to the deck to hear their captain's message* 
The captain, in a few simple words, spoke to the men of 
his faith in the Father Almighty, and then said: "I 
want all of you, officers and crew, to lift your hats, and in 
your hearts to offer silent thanks to God." The men 
were silent a few minutes, and then left the deck, giv- 
ing, as they went, " Three cheers for our captain." 

"While the Brooklyn, Oregon, Texas, and Xew York 
were following the Cristobal Colon, our other vessels 
were busy saving the lives of Spaniards on board the 
pinking and burning ships. One small boat after another 
was lowered from our vessels, and the crews went to th i 




e 

O 
O 

PQ 



o 

w 

a 

■♦-» 



156 



Young People^s History 



burning vessels, wliere stores of powder Tvere exploding 
every moment, took off tlie wounded Spaniards, and 
saved the men who had jumped into the sea and were 
trying to swim ashore. The w^ork of rescue lasted till 

eight o'clock that 
night. A thousand 
Spaniards, among them 
Admiral Cervera and 
his son, were brought 
to our ships, and were 
well tended. Most of 
the Spaniards needed 
clothes, having thrown 
aside their garments 
when jumping into the 
sea; all needed food; a 
large number, being 
wounded, needed the 
care of our doctors. 
What the captain of 
the low'a said of his men may be said of the crew^s 
of all our other vessels : " I cannot express my 
admiration for my magnificent crew. So long as the 
enemy show^ed his flag, they fought like American sea- 
men ; but wdien the flag came down, they were as gentle 
and tender as American women." 

Admiral Cervera was picked up by the Gloucester, but 
aftcnvards was taken to the low^a, where he was received 




of the War with Spain. 157 

with due honors. The bugles were sounded as he came 
over the side of the ship, the officers saluted him as Ad- 
miral, the crew cheered him to show their admiration 
for his courage. The Admiral's kindness to Lieu- 
tenant Hobson was remembered by our men, and 
they showed that they were grateful. Afterward, the 
Admiral w^as asked why the Spanish ships had not left 
the harbor during the hours of night, and he answered: 
" The searchlights of your ships ^vere too blinding." 

What a change had taken place in less than four 
hours on that Sunday! The Spanish fleet had been de- 
stroyed, six hundred Spaniards had lost their lives, many 
were wounded, a thousand were in the hands of the 
Americans. Our men had won a great victory, had not 
lost a ship, and had only one man killed and one 
wounded. 

The story of the Gloucester's fight with the '' destroy- 
ers " has been graphically told by one who was on board 
her during that exciting time. 

" The Spaniards were beginning to get the range with 
their deadly automatic one-pounders. One shot in the 
right place would sink us. There was a line of splashes 
in the water, like that made by jumping fish, tracing 
accurately the length of our vessel, and gradually coming 
nearer and nearer. 

" Crash ! crash ! went our guns, and suddenly, when 
within ten yards of the ship, the splashes ceased. The 
man at the gun had been killed, ^o v/ere 3a^ed tern- 



158 Young People^ s History 

porarily, but still the enemy was fighting for dear life. 
Both destroyers were trying their best to sink ns; we 
refused to go down. Suddenly the pin of number four 
gun dropped out and it was necessary to remove the 
breach block and find the pin. It was all done quietly, 
quickly, but the nervous strain was awful. We were 
now within five hundred yards of the Furor, firing some- 
times at her and sometimes at the Pluton. At this 
point the New York went speeding by and cheered us 
as she passed. Gradually the Pluton's guns became 
silent, and it was evident that she was in distress. She 
was making for the shore. 

" Suddenly there was a great flash aboard her, a mass 
of steam rose into the air, and she had exploded, proba- 
bly in the engine room. Later we learned that a shot 
had passed clear through her boilers. A great cheer 
went up from the Gloucester's crew. But what was the 
Furor doing? Coming toward us? It was the last act 
of desperation. Again the starboard battery had come 
into use. There was no time to be lost; either we must 
sink the Furor or she would sink us. 

"Our fire was redoubled. It was too fierce; no ves- 
sel could stand it. Still continuing on the circle, with 
a starboard helm, the Furor turned away from us toward 
Morro. But w^e kept up our heart-breaking fire. Like 
a stag, the boat turned again and made for her compan- 
ion, which was now lying on her side amid the breakers, 
endeavoring to escape us, but in vain; and, still 



of the War with Spain, 



159 



turning, she made weakly toward ns again. Then the 
truth dawned upon us; she was unmanageable, and was 
simply moving in a circle, with a jammed helm. The 
battle was at an end. 

" But our work was by no means over. We had spent 
two hours in slaughtering our friends who had crossed 
the sea to meet us, and 
we now spent twelve 



hours in rescuing the 
survivors." 

The Gloucestel' was 
commanded by Lieu- 
tenant- Commander 
Wainwright, a most 
gallant and plucky offi- 
cer. He was the ex- 
ecutive officer of the 
battleship Maine when 
she was blown up in 
Havana harbor shortly 
before the war began. 
His fight with the " de- 
stroyers " was one of the bravest deeds ever recorded in 
naval history. After rescuing Admiral Cervera from the 
water, he placed his cabin at his disposal, did everything 
to make him comfortable, and treated him with the 
deference due his rank. 

A midshipman on the Almirante Oquendo, who man- 




160 Young People^ s History 

aged to get ashore after his ship was beached, told this 

story: 

"The flagship opened fire while we, being the last, 
were still some way from the harbor mouth, yet before 
we cleared the entrance we got struck by a few shells. 
I was in the forward central torpedo room, and as, ac- 
cording to orders, the port holes were shut, I could see 
but little of what was taking place outside. We did not 
at once use our torpedoes, for shortly after the action be- 
gan, a heavy projectile crashed through the upper deck 
and destroyed the shield near which I was standing. I 
was knocked down by the force of the explosion, receiv- 
ing a slight leg wound from a fragment of the shell, 
while a splinter of the starboard gangway was driven into 
my chest near the heart. On recovering my feet, I 
found that the starboard torpedo tube was smashed and 
that the deck was strewn with dead and wounded, 3 
few of whom were seeking to go up the gangway, whict 
was also destroyed. Yery shortly we all had to clear 
out of the room, as it became impossible to breathe 
there, owing to a lot of material taking fire. T sank, halt 
choked, on the upper deck, but was ie-/ired by somcon'i 
turning a hose on my head. 

" On rising again, I found myself close to the second 
commander, Don Victor Sola, who was encouraging the 
crew, and Senor Nunoz, who pat his arm around me, ex- 
claiming, ' They are making a man of you to-day.' At 
that moment a hea // shell burst behind me, small par- 



of the War with Spain. 161 

tides lodging in mj neck. This shell killed Don Victor 
Sola, whom I saw fall on his face without uttering a 
word. Eight across his body fell that of the first gun- 
ner. When Captain Lazaga heard that the forward 
magazines were ablaze he followed the lead of the Te- 
resa, heading for land and running the vessel ashore. I 
went back to the torpedo room and stripped. When I 
got back on deck, mj companions were gone, so I got 
through the port cannon embrasure and slipped down a 
chain into the water.'' 

The destruction of the Spanish fleet at Santiago was 
as complete as the destruction of the Spanish fleet at 
Manila. Commodore Schley was the senior officer in 
command, and it was fitting that the man who "bottled- 
up " Cervera's fleet should be the one to destroy it. Af- 
ter peace was declared, he was promoted to be a rear-ad- 
miral, and the people of the United States presented 
him with the costliest sword ever given a military or 
naval officer. It was a direct gift from the people to the 
man, and showed the estimation in which they held him. 

In the running fight at Santiago, as at the battle of 
Manila, every officer and man did his duty. The Span- 
ish vessels were out-sailed and out-fought. The Ameri- 
can vessels were not injured and the Spanish were 
crushed. The American gunnery was effective at close 
range and long; the Spanish gunnery was not good at 
any range. The American shells told wherever they 
struck and the American vessels were maneuvered with 



162 Young People's History 

the greater skill. Under tlie stress of the greatest ex- 
citement, the Americans showed the effect of their splen- 
did drill and discipline. 

Admiral Cervera and the principal Spanish officers 
were taken to Annapolis and installed in comfortable 
quarters. One of them said : " You ought to be proud of 
your country, because you have such good people." 
Another remarked, " I do not know that I am a prisoner 
except that I cannot go home." Eventually they were 
all sent back to Spain. 

It has been truly said that laughter and tears lie very 
close together. It is equally true that in the midst of 
solemn and terrible events some amusing things happen, 
even though thev mav not seem funnv at the time. And 
so, in connection with the exciting events of July 3d, 
1898, some laughable stories are told. 

When the Spanish fleet came out of the harbor vxith 
all their colors flying, a lieutenant on the Texas looked 
up and saw that his ship was displaying nothing but the 
Stars and Stripes. " Where are our battle-flags?" said he. 
Just then the Texas sent a shell against the Maria Ter- 
esa. " I guess they won't have any doubt about our 
being in battle," said Captain Philip. But the lieutenant 
thought that a battle was nothing without battle-flags, 
and sent a messenger after them. But the flags were 
locked up, and the man who had the key was busy in 
another part of the ship. " Then smash the locker," said 
the lieutenant, when informed of this fact. The locker 



of the War with Spain. 163 

Y/as smashed, and soon tlie Texas was fighting under her 
battle-flags. 

^ In the thickest of the fight a young lad on the Texas 
was heard to say : " Fourth of July celebration, eh ? A 
little early, but a good one!'' 

During the chase after the Colon, the men of the Ore- 
gon went in turn to dinner, Captain Clark having called 
to them : " 'Now, children, go and get something to eat, 
if it is only a little bread and butter.'' The men satisfied 
themselves with a few bites, and then hurried back to 
the deck to watch the exciting race. The Oregon and the 
Brooklyn were gaining steadily on the Colon. Suddenly 
the Brooklyn s^'^^^aled to the Oregon: " She seems built 
in Itaty." And the Oregon signaled back: " She may 
have been built in Italy, but she will end on the coast of 
Cuba." 

While some of the ships were chasing the Colon, and 
others were rescuing the wounded and drowning Span- 
iards, the Indiana, according to orders, returned to watch 
the harbor entrance. Suddenly an excitement was caused 
on the Indiana by news that a large Spanish battleship 
was coming from the eastward. Captain Taylor at once 
made ready for another fight, and sent his men to their 
guns. The officers on the bridge looked through their 
field-glasses at the strange ship, three miles away. " Yes, 
it is a Spanish ship." " Yes, she has Spanish colors." 
The stranger drew near, the guns of the Indiana were 
just about to open fire, but the foreign ship signaled her 



164 Young People^ s History 

name and country — " Kaiserin Maria Theresa, Austria " 
— intime to save both parties from further trouble. 

That Sunday morning the chaplain of the New York 
was preparing to hold service w^hen the sound of a gun 
caused the ship to turn in her course and speed back to 
Santiago. The ship was cleared for action, and the pul- 
pit was hastily thrown aside. As the ship sped along, 
some of her men saw a Spanish sailor struggling in the 
water. One of the men quickly picked up the pulpit — ■ 
a clumsy, awkward affair, with a gilt cross on the side of 
it — and heaved it overboard, at the same time yelling 
to the poor Spaniard : ^' Cling to the cross, my lad, cling 
to the cross and you'll be saved." Th. -struggling sailor 
clung to the cross and was afterward picked up by one of 
the small boats. 

This story is told of two gunners on the Oregon. One 
was an old fellow whose name has been on the navy list 
for thirty years, the other was a young seaman gunner'. 

When Admiral Cervera led his ships out of the har- 
bor of Santiago, in that brave dash for the freedom of 
the open sea, the veteran was engaged in his usual oc- 
cupation of polishing the sleek coat of one of the big 
thirteen-inch guns. When the cry went up that the 
eiiemy was escaping, he gave a finishing touch to 
the muzzle and quickly took his station in the turret. 
Presently he turned to a young gunner near him and 
said: " Charley, I bet you a month's pay that I make a 
better shot at the dago beggars than you. What 
d'you sayf^ 



of the War with Spain. 165 

" T)one/ was the prompt reply. 

" Ten minutes later, the old gunner squinted his eye 
along the sight, signalled the man at the training lever 
to ease off a little, took the range from the officer in 
charge of the division, then gave the firing lanyard a 
quick jerk. When the smoke lifted, the eager watchers 
saw a great yawning hole in the port bow of the Al- 
mirante Oquendo. A cheer came from the men in the 
turret, and the veteran glanced triumphantly toward the 
younger gunner. 

" The latter's turn soon came. The Oquendo, bat- 
tered and helpless, drifted ashore in flames. The Ore- 
gon accompanied by the Brooklyn, sped on after the 
fleet-footed Colon. The rapid-fire batteries of both 
American ships rattled and shrieked after the fugitive. 
The eight-inch guns of the Brooklyn rumbled an unceas- 
ing chorus as they belched forth their shells, and oc- 
casionally a deeper roar from the thirteen-inch mon- 
sters of the Oregon would give a mightier volume to 
the din. 

" It was after one of the latter shots that the forward 
turret of the Oregon echoed with a rousing cheer. 
Charley, the young gunner, had just dropped the firing 
lanyard from his hand and it was seen the Colon's con- 
ning tower was hit. ^ He told me before he pulled the 
lanyard that he would fetch it,' exclaimed one of the 
gun's crew, admiringly, ^ and he did.' 

A proud father, whose son was on one of the battle- 
ships during the destruction of Cervera's ships, said: 

I J — IVar iL'ith Spain 



166 Young People's History 

" Among the four letters I have received from my son 
is one which contains an amusing story of one of the offi- 
cers of the Indiana. The officer in question is well 
knowm throughout the navy for his fastidiousness re- 
garding apparel, and even on board his ship, is always 
the best-dressed man. He considers it his imperative 
duty to appear ^ just so/ on every occasion. 

" My son writes that Avhen the fight began, everybody 
had on most of his clothes, the officers generally being 
in proper uniform. My boy started in with a full accom- 
paniment of cap, shirt, coat, pants and shoes, but says that 
before the hour and a half w^as over he had shed every- 
thing except his trousers. The heat was, of course, in- 
tense and the main cause of the boy's throwing off all 
unnecessary garments. It has been his duty to carry 
messages several times from the commanding officer on 
the bridge to the rear of the vessel, where our dandy 
officer was stationed, and wdien the fight began he was 
fully uniformed. On the second trip back the officer 
was seen to be the only person in sight with a coat on 
his back, but the perspiration was rolling down his 
cheeks and dropping off in black beads and his face was 
besmeared and almost unrecognizable. 

''Just before the last shot was fired, my son was sent 
to find the executive officer to deliver him a message 
from the bridge. He hurried to the deck, and, in clouds 
of black smoke endeavored to locate the lieutenant. He 
looked in vain, however, and finally stepped up to a man 



of the ^Yar iviili Spain. 



167 



who at first appeared to be clothed in pajamas, and my 
son was just going to inquire for the first ofiicer, when 
the smoke cleared away a little revealing our fastidious 
but brave officer dressed in his nightgown, with his sword 
strapped around his waist, and a pistol stuck in his belt." 
Doubtless many more anecdotes could be told in con- 
nection with that day's history. 




168 Young People^ s History 



CHAPTEE XI. 

CLOSING EVENTS. 

THAT Sunday morning, after General Shafter re- 
ceived the telegram from the War Office, he took a 
step which in the end proved very successful. 
He sent men to Santiago bearing a flag of truce and a 
message to the Spanish general. When a flag of truce 
is sent to an enemy all fighting stops for a number of 
days or hours, according to the time fixed for the truce, 
or quiet, and plans are then made. This message told 
the Spanish general that if he did not surrender within 
a certain time the American Army would attack the 
city. The Spanish general sent word back that he would 
not surrender, but that he would give notice to the people 
in Santiago that they might leave the city before the 
attack. Of course, before that day was over, our Army 
heard of the great victory of our ^avy, and felt more 
hopeful. ' 

During the week that followed that important Sunday, 
crowds of women, children, and old men; Spaniards, 
Cubans, and people of other nations, went out of San- 
tiago. They hardly knew where to go. Men who 
saw that sight said it was pitiful. All the roads 
leading from Santiago were filled with people and wag- 



of the War vnth Spain. 169 

ons, toiling on to some place of safety. Most of these 
people had very little food, except the fruit then ripe on 
the mango-trees, and so had to be fed by onr Army and 
by the Red Cross Society. Ever since General Shafter's 
army bad landed, it had been feeding the hungry Cu- 
bans in the country around Santiago — people who were 
nearly starved on account of their long war with Spain. 
Food was scarce in our Army, because there was trouble 
in landing the supplies sent by the United States, and 
more trouble in sending the supplies forward to the sol- 
diers. Still, the hungry people from Santiago could not 
be neglected, and they were given a share of food daily. 

And with all those crowds upon the narrow roads from 
Santiago were many of our wounded soldiers, trying to 
make their way back to the Red Cross tent at Siboney. 
There were not enough army wagons to take the 
wounded from Las Guasimas, El Caney, and San Juan, 
and they could not all be treated in the field tents. So 
the men limped and hobbled along as best they could — 
wounded, sick, feverish — to Siboney, *eight miles away. 
To add to the suffering, this was the wet season in Cuba, 
and rain fell for hours every day. 

During that week of truce. General Shafter arranged 
with the Spanish general in Santiago for the exchange 
of Lieutenant Hobson and his crew. Half way between 
the American camp and the city there was a beautiful 
ceiba-tree, or silk-cotton tree, so called from the large 
seed-pods, full of soft, cotton-like stuff. Under this tall. 



170 



Young People^ s History 



shady tree many important councils were held between 
the Spanish and American officers. And under this tree, 
one morning, our officers gave up eight Spanish prison- 
ers in return for Lieutenant Hobson and his men. Our 
soldiers welcomed these brave fellows with shouts of 
praise and joy. 

On July 10th, the truce being ended, our Army and 
our ^avy fired upon Santiago, and kept up the fire on 
the morning of the next day. Then a new truce was 

made, for the Span- 
iards wanted time to 
consult their Gov- 
ernment. General 
Miles, the Com- 
mander-in-Chief of 
the whole United 
States Army, arrived 
and held councils with 
the Spanish officers. 
At last the Spaniards 
agreed to surrender 
the eastern part of 
Cuba, and at noon, 
on July 17th, our 
flag was hoisted on the governor's palace in Santiago. 
Our soldiers took possession of the city, and the citizens, 
who had gone away in such sorrow, now returned in joy 
because the United States had taken charge. 




The Treaty Tree. 



of ilie War lui'ui Spain. 



171 



When General Miles arrived in Cnba with reinforce- 
ments, he at once took charge of the negotiations be- 
tween General Shafter and the Spanish General Toral. 
General Shafter had made such a mess of the whole cam- 
paign that he was inclined to make trouble, thinking he 
was to be superseded; 
but General Miles told 
him that he had in- 
structions to settle all 
matters according to 
his own discretion. 
After he had com- 
pleted the negotiations 
with General Toral, 
General Miles gener- 
ously left the honor of 
receiving the surrender 
of the Spanish forces 
to General Shafter. 
From the moment of 
his arrival on the isl- 
and. General Miles had control of all military affairs. 
'No greater discretion was ever given to an officer, but he 
used it wisely, and then allowed the honors to pass to 
another. 

Some of our naval officers went into the harbor and 
exploded all the " mines,'' and the harbor was once more 
safe and open to all vessels. The war was not really at 




172 



Young PeoMs History 



an end, but it was known that Spain could not liold out 
much longer. 

One of the devoted Red Cross workers tells this story: 
" One of the most dramatic incidents of the war was 
the entrance of the Red Cross into Santiago, a few days 
later. Recognizing the great services rendered, the 
army officers experienced almost a change of heart, and 
the relief ship State of Texas was put ahead of anything, 

even Shafter, Samp- 
son and Schley follow- 
ing respectfully in the 
rear. There were the 
two armies, the con- 
querors and the con- 
quered, the wrecked 
ships of Spain, the 
starving Cubans, the 
silence of the grave 
hung over all; the 
memory of horrors 
gone before — of battle, 
murder and tragedy ; 
and now was coming 
the first gleaming hope 
to a perishing people. Said ]\Iiss Barton: 
" ^ Can somebody sing the Doxology?' 
" ^ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ' rang 
out in quavering chorus from the dozen men and women 




of the TFar with Spain. 173 

on the deck of the State of Texas, taken up and re- 
peated here and there on battleships and shore, till the 
green hills that mirror Santiago re-echoed the song of 
thanksgiving, while gallant soldiers were not ashamed 
of tears, and the dying waved their feeble hands." 

One of the problems of the war was how to dispose of 
the Spanish prisoners. It would cost a big sum to feed 
them and to guard them, and so it was decided to send 
them back to Spain. Ships were provided and this was 
done. The Spaniards who were sick and wounded re- 
ceived the same care and consideration that was given 
to the Americans who were in the same conditions. The 
humorous side of the affair was that, the contract to con- 
vey the troops to Spain w^as given to a Spanish Steam- 
ship Company. 

I have spoken before of the other large island belong- 
ing to Spain — the island of Porto Rico. Late in July 
General Miles took a large body of troops there to take 
possession. These troops had much better supplies than 
the troops in Cuba, and they had not such hard work. 
The people in Porto Eico w^elcomed our soldiers. The 
Spanish soldiers made a few efforts to fight, but one 
place after another was taken by our troops, without any 
great trouble. 

Ponce, near the southern coast of Porto Eico, is a city 
of importance, as I have told you. It was named for 
Ponce de Leon, the famous voyager of the sixteenth 
century, who wandered around in search of a fountain of 



174 Young People^ s History 

youth. "When our troops approached Ponce, the city 
and the port were given np to them gladly, as the Span- 
ish soldiers had gone away. 

Our troops now began moving on by different roads 
to San Juan, on the northern coast, the capital and chief 
city. It was known that the Spaniards were making 
great preparations to defend this city. As our Army 
pushed on, from day to day, there were some skirmishes 
with the enemy. On August 12th there seemed likely 
to be very serious fighting at different places near San 
Juan, but messengers arrived suddenly, saying: "The 
"War is ended; Spain and the United States are arrang- 
ing terms of Peace.'' Spain had lost Cuba and Porto 
!Rico forever. 

That afternoon, at four o'clock, the first paper of the 
Peace w^as signed at the White House, in Washington, 
though the full Treaty was not made until four months 
later. Spain agreed to give Porto Pico to the United 
States, Cuba to be independent, but our country to gov- 
ern the island until the Cubans were able to manas^e 
their own affairs. The officers and soldiers chosen by the 
United States to stay in Cuba and Porto Pico to restore 
order and help the islands to recover from the effects of 
war, soon made many improvements. 

As the navy began the war with Spain, it was proper 
that the navy should finish it. The greater events at 
Santiago obscured the last naval battle of the war, but 
it was a grand triumph for the navy. You will remem- 



of the War with Spain, 



175 



ber that the Wilmington was in the fight at Cardenas 
where brave Ensign Bagley was killed. After the de- 
struction of Admiral Cervera's fleet, Commander Todd, 
of the Wilmington, was in command of a little fleet and 
at Manzanillo, off to the westward of Santiago, he de- 
stroyed nine Spanish vessels. This engagement gave 
him the title of " the Dewey of Manzanillo," and his re- 
port of that spirited affair was as modest as that of his 
namesake. 

As our troops came 
back to the United 
States, from time to 
time, they were re- 
ceived with great joy. 
But many of our men 
were very ill after the 
war, and had to stay a 
long time in a sick- 
camp on Long Island. 

On the twentieth 
of August there was a 
great naval parade in 
the harbor of New 
York, and the leading 
vessels from the war made a fine display. 

Later, there were Peace Jubilees held in a number of 
cities of the United States. The one in Philadelphia 
was a splendid affair. There were receptions and illu- 




Commander Chapman Todd. 



176 



Young People^ s History 



minations, but what pleased the spectators most was the 
great parade. A great many of the military and naval 
commanders of the men who won the splendid victories 
over the Spanish were present, and thousands of the men 
themselves marched past the miles of spectators who 
lined the sidewalks, as they passed along the streets. 

It was an inspiring spectacle. General Miles, the 
Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the United States, 
rode at the head of the monster procession. Cheer 
after cheer arose from the enthusiastic crowds as the men 
who fought with Dewey swung past with rifles at " right 
shoulder." They shouted themselves hoarse when a 
squad of " Rough Eiders " trotted by ; Hobson and his 
men received an ovation; Colonel Huntington marched 
at the head of the brave marines who made the bold 
stand at Guantanamo. It was a day of heroes, and all 
were welcomed and cheered royally. 




of the War with Spain, 



177 



CHAPTEE XII. 



THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



BUT in spite of Peace Jubilees and fine parades of re- 
turning troops, our country was still at war. But 
this war was with the natives of the Philippine 
Islands. To explain this trouble, I must go back in my 
story. 

In another chapter 
I told you of the re- 
bellion of the Filipinos 
against Spain. One of 
the leaders in the re- 
bellion was a young 
man named Aguinal- 
do. The name means 
a " Christmas box." 



Ag*uinaldo has been a 
good box for some 
people, a troublesome 
box for others. Well, 
to quiet that rebellion, 
Spain made many 
promises, and Aguinal- 
do and other leaders went to stay in China. Spain did 




178 Young Peopled History 

not keep her promises, and the rebels took ivp arms 
again. Before Spain could qniet this trouble, Com- 
modore Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila 
Bay, and the Spanish soldiers fled to the city of Manila. 
Commodore Dewey had not forces enough to attack the 
city then, so he waited for more troops. But while he 
waited he blockaded the harbor. In June, General 
Merritt sailed from the United States with troops for 
Manila, and others were sent afterward. 

On the way across the Pacific Ocean, at Guam, one of 
the Ladrone Islands, a ludicrous incident occurred. The 
Charleston steamed into the harbor, firing a few shots at 
the fort at its entrance. Several Spanish officers came 
out to the warship in a boat to apologize for not return- 
ing the salute, saying they had no powder. What was 
their astonishment upon being told they were prisoners, 
not even having heard that war had been declared. 

The United States flag was raised over the island, and 
it is now held as a place to store large quantities of coal 
for the use of our war vessels. 

Meanwhile, the Filipinos, and some of the savage 
tribes, had risen in great numbers against the Spaniards, 
and Aguinaldo returned and took command of his troops 
once more. Commodore Dewey, or Admiral Dewey, as 
he must now be called, having been promoted after his 
victory, tried to keep the natives in check; he did not 
think it right to let lawless people take the city of 
Manila. 



of the War with Spain. 179 

The Spaniards made efforts to drive the Arnericans 
away from Manila, as well as to control the rebels, and 
sometimes matters seemed very serious for our men. On 
the 7th of August Admiral Dewey and General Merritt 
sent a notice to the Spanish General that, if he did not 
surrender by a certain day, they would attack Manila. 
They thought they could easily come to terms with the 
Filipinos, after settling the Spaniards. 

On August 13th our ships in the harbor and our troops 
on the shore began the attack upon Manila. About noon 
the Spaniards had to surrender. Later in the day a cable 
message was received from the United States, saying that 
the war wdtli Spain w^as ended. 

Afterward, when the full Treaty of Peace was signed, 
the United States agreed to give Spain twenty million 
dollars for the Philippine Islands. 

Manila had been captured once before from the Span- 
ish. In what is known in this country as the " French 
and Indian War," Spain took sides with France, and 
England sent an expedition against Manila in 1762. 
After a siege of about two weeks' duration, the city was 
carried by storm and given over to pillage. Afterwards, 
terms of capitulation were agreed upon, and the English 
withdrew. 

In the summer of 1899, Admiral Dewey sailed from 
Manila in his flagship, the Olympia. He made a leis- 
urely voyage through the Suez Canal, stopped at vari- 
ous Mediterranean ports, and finally reached 'New York 



180 Young People^s History 

on September 26th. Preparations on a gigantic scale 
had been made to welcome him, and distinguished men 
and deputations from every state in the Union were on 
hand to greet him. Splendid receptions and parades fol- 
lowed; costly presents were showered upon him. The 
culmination of this spontaneous greeting of the Amer- 
ican people was reached when, in the city of Washington, 
President McKinley presented him with a magnificent 
sword — the one that had been voted to him by Congress 
for his splendid services at Manila. 

Through it all Admiral Dewey was as modest as a man 
could be; he said that the captains of his ships and the 
crews of their vessels were the men that won " all these 
indescribable honors " for him. 

After the surrender of Manila to General Merritt 
and Admiral Dewey, Aguinaldo, the leader of the 
Filipinos, began to make trouble for the Americans. 
He proclaimed a new form of government for the islands, 
with himself as dictator. He entirely ignored the efforts 
of the United States to give his people a good govern- 
ment, and because they did not agree to his schemes, he 
began to fight our soldiers. He succeeded in raising a 
formidable insurrection, and w^e had to send more sol- 
diers to the islands. General Otis was sent there with 
reinforcements, and later, a number of the generals who 
had fought at Santiago were sent to help him put down 
the rebellion against the authority of the United States, 
who owned the islands by right of conquest and purchase. 




Admiral Dewey Receiving the Sword of Honor Voted by Congress. 

I g — ll'hr zvith Sfain 



182 



Young People^s Hisiory 



Many men were killed on both sides, and among tlicm 
were Major Jolm A. Logan, Jr., and Major-GeneraJ 
Henry W. Lawton. 

Major Logan was the son of Hon. John A. Logan, for- 
merly a Senator and at one time Vice-President of the 

United States. 

General Lawton, you 
will remember, was the 
famous officer who 
fought so gallantly in 
Cuba, particularly at 
the battle of El Caney, 
and w^as afterwards sent 
to the Philippines. 
Upon his arrival in the 
islands he was at once 
given a command, and 
began to hunt down 
the Filipinos. He 
fought as bravely and 
gallantly in the Phil- 
ippines as he did in 
Cuba, capturing many rebel strongholds and considerable 
quantities of arms and ammunitions. He took a large 
number of prisoners and kept up such a tireless pursuit 
of the insurgents that they fled before him in terror. 
In fighting the Filipinos he used the same tactics that he 
had employed against the Indians in this country. He 




\<-:'-&^£^. 



General E. S. Otis. 



of the War with Spain. 183 

allowed his troops to fight in Indian fashion, each man 
for himself, when occasion required; and he had the love 
and respect of every man in his command 

General Lawton was specially thanked by President 
McKinley after his capture of San Isidro, where he led 
his men in person, as he almost invariably did. He was 
one of the bravest of men, and met a soldier's death in a 
skirmish at San Mateo, on December 18th, 1899. 

When the news of General Lawton's death reached 
this country, the people quickly raised a fund, amounting 
to about one hundred thousand dollars, for his wife and 
children, as a token of their appreciation of his distin- 
guished services. His remains were brought to the 
United States on a Government transport, and after lying 
in state at Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana, Avere 
laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery, near the city of 
Washington, D. C. 

You will remember that our war with Spain began on 
April 21st, 1898, and that it ended with the signing of 
the peace protocol, on August 12th of the same year; 
but I hardly think you know what these one hundred and 
fourteen days cost this country. 

The cost in men was two thousand, nine hundred and 
ten, and of these one hundred and seven were officers. 
The total force engaged was two hundred and seventy- 
four thousand, seven hundred and seventeen officers and 
men. 

The cost in money was about $1,250,000 for each day 



184 ■ Young People^ s History 

of tlie war, and if you reckon tliat np yon will find that 
it amounts to an enormous sum of money. 

The only American vessel that was lost was the collier 
MerrimaCj which was sunk in Santiago harbor by our 
own navy. 

Spain's losses will probably never be given out, for 
national pride will not permit her to publish the figures. 
We know, however, that she lost twelve cruisers, two 
torpedo-boat destroyers and twenty-one gunboats from 
her list of fighting ships. The value of Admiral Cer- 
vera's squadron, which was destroyed at Santiago, alone 
w^as $20,000,000. Besides capturing or destroying these 
war vessels, we took from Spain, during the war, twenty- 
four steam vessels, sixty-one sailing vessels and sixty-one 
lighters. 

It is impossible to give Spain's losses in men, killed and 
wounded, but she surrendered to us in Cuba and the 
Philippines something more than thirty-nine thousand 
men. According to the terms of the capitulation at San- 
tiago, this country sent nearly twenty-three thousand 
prisoners home to Spain. 



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(1) 



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tave Frankenstein. Pictures by Gustave Verbeek. 
Cloth, 60 cents. 

BUIMPER AND BABY^ JOHN. By Anna Chapin Ray. 
Illustrated. Cloth, 60 cents. 

A GOURD FIDDLE. By Grace MacGowan Cooke. Illus- 
trated. Cloth, 50 cents. 

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